BBY vs. ULTA: Best Buy vs. Ulta Beauty Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Best Buy (BBY) 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

Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) both belong to the Specialty Retail industry, though BBY is classified under Computer & Electronics Retail while ULTA falls under Other Specialty Retail.

Company profile comparison for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Profile Item	BBY	ULTA
Name	Best Buy Co., Inc.	Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Specialty Retail	Specialty Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Computer & Electronics Retail	Other Specialty Retail
Market Capitalization	20.90 billion USD	27.57 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	April 18, 1985	October 25, 2007
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BBY

ULTA

GSPC

Best Buy (BBY) 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

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Trailing total returns for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Total Return (1Y)	41.84%	29.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.12%	19.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	0.22%	11.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BBY

ULTA

GSPC

Best Buy (BBY) 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

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	39.78%	36.05%
Beta (5Y)	1.14	0.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-52.60%	-44.56%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.37M	548.94K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BBY 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 Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.94	0.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.61	1.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Best Buy (BBY) at 43.13% and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 46.12% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

43.13%

Max: 62.17%
BBY: 43.13%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
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%

Best Buy (BBY) 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 Best Buy (BBY) at 3.01%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.01%

Max: 16.94%
Q3: 8.69%
Median: 3.55%
BBY: 3.01%
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%

Best Buy (BBY) 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 Best Buy (BBY) at 3.90%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.90%

Max: 21.45%
Q3: 10.89%
Median: 5.57%
BBY: 3.90%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
ROE (TTM)	43.13%	46.12%
ROA (TTM)	7.25%	14.84%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.01%	9.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	3.90%	12.51%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.60%	43.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 9.71% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Best Buy (BBY) at 0.39% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Best Buy (BBY) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Best Buy (BBY) at 17.76% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.18% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for BBY.

Best Buy (BBY) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.39%	9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-3.43%	6.68%
EPS Growth (YoY)	17.76%	1.18%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-7.12%	2.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Best Buy (BBY) at 1.12 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.35 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.12

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
Median: 1.35
BBY: 1.12
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Best Buy (BBY) at 1.30 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 0.95 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.30

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
BBY: 1.30
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
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

Best Buy (BBY) 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 Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.12	1.35
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.30	0.95
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.66	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 Best Buy (BBY) reports a yield of 3.84%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.84%

Max: 5.84%
BBY: 3.84%
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%

Best Buy (BBY) 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 Best Buy (BBY) reports a payout of 63.56%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

63.56%

Max: 72.73%
BBY: 63.56%
Q3: 32.44%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.84%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	63.56%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Best Buy (BBY) at 16.58 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 23.50 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

16.58

Max: 40.50
Q3: 24.26
Median: 19.23
BBY: 16.58
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Best Buy (BBY) at 0.50 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 2.13 sits in the pricier quartile — ULTA costs more per dollar of sales.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.50

Max: 4.32
Q3: 1.99
Median: 0.70
BBY: 0.50
Q1: 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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Best Buy (BBY) at 6.59 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 10.44 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

BBY

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.59

Max: 10.96
BBY: 6.59
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
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

Best Buy (BBY) 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 Best Buy (BBY) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Metric	BBY	ULTA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	16.58	23.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.50	2.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.59	10.44
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	6.72%	3.32%