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

Ulta Beauty holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. 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.

Updated 2026-04-05

The lead is spread across profitability and growth, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. Ulta Beauty, Inc. leads by 16 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.79
Similar
Peer-set rank: #12
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 qualityMedium
vs
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
69
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium

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

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: DRI vs ULTA Profitability 23 67 Stability 63 45 Valuation 86 87 Growth 38 66 DRI ULTA
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +44
#2 Growth +28
#3 Stability +18
#4 Valuation +1
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 remains mixed because the stronger profile and the more supportive price setup do not sit on the same side.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Ulta Beauty, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Darden Restaurants, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
The same broad pattern appears on growth: Ulta Beauty, Inc. ranks near the top of the group, while Darden Restaurants, Inc. stays in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
DRI
23
ULTA
67
Gap+44in favour of ULTA

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 14.8-point ROIC advantage.

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

The lead is built on both profitability and growth — though stability still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

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Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

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.

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.