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FIVE vs. ULTA: Five Below vs. Ulta Beauty Stock Comparison

How do Five Below (FIVE) 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

Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) are both classified in the Other Specialty Retail sub-industry within the broader Specialty Retail industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
Profile ItemFIVEULTA
NameFive Below, 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-IndustryOther Specialty RetailOther Specialty Retail
Market Capitalization13.23 billion USD27.57 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateJuly 19, 2012October 25, 2007
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FIVE
ULTA
GSPC
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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Total Return (1Y)65.94%29.08%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)12.84%19.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.41%11.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FIVE
ULTA
GSPC
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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)39.34%36.05%
Beta (5Y)0.890.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)-74.52%-44.56%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.03M548.94K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FIVE 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 Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.570.69
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.331.01

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 46.12% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Five Below (FIVE) at 28.25% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ULTA.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

28.25%

Max
62.17%
Q3
29.44%
FIVE
28.25%
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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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Five Below (FIVE) at 11.65% and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 9.34% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

11.65%

Max
16.94%
FIVE
11.65%
Q3
8.69%
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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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) at 8.86%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

8.86%

Max
21.45%
Q3
10.89%
FIVE
8.86%
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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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
ROE (TTM)28.25%46.12%
ROA (TTM)7.84%14.84%
Net Margin (TTM)11.65%9.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)8.86%12.51%
Gross Margin (TTM)37.58%43.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Five Below (FIVE) at 22.90% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 9.71% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for FIVE.

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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Five Below (FIVE) at 40.65% 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 FIVE.

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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Revenue Growth (YoY)22.90%9.71%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)15.70%6.68%
EPS Growth (YoY)40.65%1.18%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)11.32%2.21%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 1.35 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Five Below (FIVE) at 2.22 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.22

Max
2.62
FIVE
2.22
Q3
1.75
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
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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Five Below (FIVE) at 0.82 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 0.95 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.82

Max
3.93
Q3
2.14
Median
1.25
FIVE
0.82
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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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.221.35
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.820.95
Net Debt / EBITDA1.041.19

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

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

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Five Below (FIVE) at 21.53 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.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

21.53

Max
40.50
Q3
24.26
FIVE
21.53
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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Five Below (FIVE) vs. Ulta Beauty (ULTA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Five Below (FIVE) at 2.49 and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) at 2.13 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.49

Max
4.32
FIVE
2.49
Q3
1.99
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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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) at 5.34 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.

FIVE

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

5.34

Max
10.96
FIVE
5.34
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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Five Below (FIVE) 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 Five Below (FIVE) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
MetricFIVEULTA
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.5323.50
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.492.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.3410.44
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.78%3.32%