Home Compare HD vs ULTA
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

The Home Depot vs Ulta Beauty: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ulta Beauty holds the cleaner structural position, with growth as the main driver and stability adding further support. The Home Depot 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

The clearest separation starts in growth, but profitability adds another real layer to the result. Ulta Beauty, Inc. leads by 12 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.79
Similar
Peer-set rank: #15
within The Home Depot, Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured 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 capital structure and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
capital structuremargin consistency
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
HD
The Home Depot, Inc.
48
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.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: HD vs ULTA Profitability 38 54 Stability 64 36 Valuation 71 83 Growth 11 56 HD ULTA
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +45
#2 Stability +28
#3 Profitability +16
#4 Valuation +12
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for HD and ULTA Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer HDULTA Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY HD Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 38 pct gap ULTA Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 37th 75th
Today HD sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (37th percentile), while ULTA sits higher in its own history (75th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, HD is at a historically more favourable entry position than ULTA. 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
Growth
On growth, Ulta Beauty, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while The Home Depot, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Stability
The Home Depot, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on stability, while Ulta Beauty, Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Growth — Dominant Gap
HD
11
ULTA
56
Gap+45in favour of ULTA

One company is still expanding while the other is contracting, which creates a very wide growth split.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability still leans toward The Home Depot, Inc., so the lead is real without reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

Growth settles the comparison, while pricing and stability keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how HD 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.