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Darden Restaurants vs Ulta Beauty: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ulta Beauty holds the cleaner structural position, with stability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Darden Restaurants still has the edge on stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

On stability, the clearer edge sits with Darden Restaurants, Inc., while the overall score remains tighter and points the other way.

Trajectory Similarity
0.80
Similar
Peer-set rank: #11
within Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

The match is driven mainly by margin consistency and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyrevenue stability
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
DRI
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
53
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
60
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: DRI vs ULTA Profitability 35 54 Stability 67 36 Valuation 79 83 Growth 26 56 DRI ULTA
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +31
#2 Growth +30
#3 Profitability +19
#4 Valuation +4
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for DRI and ULTA Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer DRIULTA Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup stays mixed because structure and the price setup do not align cleanly in one direction.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where DRI and ULTA each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY DRI Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 12 pct gap ULTA Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 87th 75th
DRI (87th percentile) and ULTA (75th percentile) sit at comparable positions within their own 5-year histories. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Stability
On stability, Darden Restaurants, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Ulta Beauty, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
Ulta Beauty, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while Darden Restaurants, Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Stability — Dominant Gap
DRI
67
ULTA
36
Gap+31in favour of DRI

The stability gap is wide, with the stronger side looking materially steadier through time.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Darden Restaurants, Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Stability is the clearest driver of the lead, with growth adding further support — though stability still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the DRI vs ULTA comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how DRI and ULTA each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.