BABA vs. ULTA: Alibaba vs. Ulta Beauty Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) both fall under the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group, but BABA is classified in Broadline Retail while ULTA is classified in Specialty Retail.

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) trades as ordinary local shares, while Alibaba (BABA) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Profile Item	BABA	ULTA
Name	Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR	Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Country/Region	China	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Broadline Retail	Specialty Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Broadline Retail	Other Specialty Retail
Market Capitalization	272.28 billion USD	27.57 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 19, 2014	October 25, 2007
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BABA

ULTA

GSPC

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Total Return (1Y)	-35.96%	29.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	10.68%	19.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.88%	11.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BABA

ULTA

GSPC

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Alibaba (BABA) is heavily traded at around 10.02M shares per day, whereas Ulta Beauty (ULTA) sees a more moderate 548.94K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	40.95%	36.05%
Beta (5Y)	0.39	0.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-62.51%	-44.56%
Avg. Volume (3M)	10.02M	548.94K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BABA and ULTA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.98	0.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.48	1.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 46.12% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Alibaba (BABA) at 6.36% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in returns on equity.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.36%

Max: 62.17%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
BABA: 6.36%
Min: -12.16%

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

46.12%

Max: 62.17%
ULTA: 46.12%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
Min: -12.16%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 9.34% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Alibaba (BABA) at 7.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.04%

Max: 16.94%
Q3: 8.69%
BABA: 7.04%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

9.34%

Max: 16.94%
ULTA: 9.34%
Q3: 8.69%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 12.51% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Alibaba (BABA) at 7.30%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.30%

Max: 21.45%
Q3: 10.89%
BABA: 7.30%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

12.51%

Max: 21.45%
ULTA: 12.51%
Q3: 10.89%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
ROE (TTM)	6.36%	46.12%
ROA (TTM)	1.56%	14.84%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.04%	9.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.30%	12.51%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.20%	43.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 2.74% and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 9.71% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Alibaba (BABA) at -17.91% and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.18% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.74%	9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.62%	6.68%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-17.91%	1.18%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	17.05%	2.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alibaba (BABA) at 1.36 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.35 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
BABA: 1.36
Median: 1.35
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.35

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
Median: 1.35
ULTA: 1.35
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.24 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 0.95 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.24

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
BABA: 0.24
Min: 0.01

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.95

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
ULTA: 0.95
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.01

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.36	1.35
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.24	0.95
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.20	1.19

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a yield of 6.70%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.70%

BABA: 6.70%
Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
ULTA: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Alibaba (BABA) reports a payout of 25.44%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

25.44%

Max: 72.73%
Q3: 32.44%
BABA: 25.44%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max: 72.73%
Q3: 32.44%
ULTA: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	6.70%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.44%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 23.50 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Alibaba (BABA) at 26.50 sits in the richer quartile — BABA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

26.50

Max: 40.50
BABA: 26.50
Q3: 24.26
Median: 19.23
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

23.50

Max: 40.50
Q3: 24.26
ULTA: 23.50
Median: 19.23
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Alibaba (BABA) at 0.26 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 2.13 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.26

Max: 4.32
Q3: 1.99
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
BABA: 0.26
Min: 0.03

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.13

Max: 4.32
ULTA: 2.13
Q3: 1.99
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.03

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Alibaba (BABA) at 1.63 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 10.44 carries an above-peer premium to book — ULTA is pricier on assets.

BABA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.63

Max: 10.96
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
BABA: 1.63
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45

ULTA

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

10.44

Max: 10.96
ULTA: 10.44
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45

Alibaba (BABA) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alibaba (BABA) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BABA	ULTA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.50	23.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.26	2.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.63	10.44
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-30.35%	3.32%