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DICK'S Sporting Goods vs Ulta Beauty: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ulta Beauty leads structurally, with profitability as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. DICK'S Sporting Goods still has the edge on stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward DICK'S Sporting Goods, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Ulta Beauty, but the market is not currently confirming it.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

Profitability still does most of the heavy lifting in this comparison.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Retail

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. DKS and ULTA share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how DICK'S Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
DKS
DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.
60
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: DKS vs ULTA Profitability 43 69 Stability 57 44 Valuation 81 84 Growth 56 60 DKS ULTA
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +26
#2 Stability +13
#3 Growth +4
#4 Valuation +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for DKS and ULTA Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer DKSULTA Relative valuation Structural strength

Ulta Beauty, Inc. and DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. look relatively close on structure, but the price setup still leans toward Ulta Beauty, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY DKS Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 36 pct gap ULTA Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 62nd
Today ULTA sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (62nd percentile), while DKS sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ULTA is at a historically more favourable entry position than DKS. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both profiles are strong on profitability, but Ulta Beauty, Inc. leads clearly.
Stability
On stability, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
DKS
43
ULTA
69
Gap+26in favour of ULTA

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 16.2-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

A meaningful counterforce remains in stability, which keeps the comparison from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability points more clearly to Ulta Beauty, Inc., but stability and current pricing keep the broader result mixed.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how DKS 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.