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BURL vs. ULTA: Burlington Stores vs. Ulta Beauty Stock Comparison

How do Burlington Stores (BURL) 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

Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) both belong to the Specialty Retail industry, though BURL is classified under Apparel Retail while ULTA falls under Other Specialty Retail.

Company profile comparison for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Profile ItemBURLULTA
NameBurlington Stores Inc.Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Discretionary Distribution & RetailConsumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustrySpecialty RetailSpecialty Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryApparel RetailOther Specialty Retail
Market Capitalization15.50 billion USD27.57 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateOctober 2, 2013October 25, 2007
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BURL
ULTA
GSPC
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Total Return (1Y)-9.83%29.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.64%19.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-3.29%11.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BURL
ULTA
GSPC
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.03%36.05%
Beta (5Y)1.480.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.32%-44.56%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.46M548.94K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BURL 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.340.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.481.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Burlington Stores (BURL) at 41.41% 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.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

41.41%

Max
62.17%
BURL
41.41%
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%
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) at 5.85%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

5.85%

Max
16.94%
Q3
8.69%
BURL
5.85%
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%
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) at 6.72%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

6.72%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
BURL
6.72%
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%
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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
ROE (TTM)41.41%46.12%
ROA (TTM)6.15%14.84%
Net Margin (TTM)5.85%9.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)6.72%12.51%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.08%43.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Burlington Stores (BURL) at 8.76% 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.

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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Burlington Stores (BURL) at 21.92% 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 BURL.

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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.76%9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.95%6.68%
EPS Growth (YoY)21.92%1.18%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)39.67%2.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Burlington Stores (BURL) at 1.17 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.35 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.17

Max
2.62
Q3
1.75
Median
1.35
BURL
1.17
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
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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 0.95 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Burlington Stores (BURL) at 2.95 uses more debt funding than most peers.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.95

Max
3.93
BURL
2.95
Q3
2.14
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
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.171.35
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.950.95
Net Debt / EBITDA3.821.19

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Burlington Stores (BURL) nor Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
5.84%
Q3
2.50%
BURL
0.00%
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%
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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Burlington Stores (BURL) nor Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
72.73%
Q3
32.44%
BURL
0.00%
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%
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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Burlington Stores (BURL) at 22.17 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.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

22.17

Max
40.50
Q3
24.26
BURL
22.17
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
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Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Burlington Stores (BURL) at 1.27 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.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.27

Max
4.32
Q3
1.99
BURL
1.27
Median
0.70
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
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) at 7.74 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.

BURL

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.74

Max
10.96
BURL
7.74
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
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Burlington Stores (BURL) 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricBURLULTA
P/E Ratio (TTM)22.1723.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.272.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.7410.44
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)0.69%3.32%