ASO vs DKS vs ULTA Stock Comparison

Academy Sports & Outdoors, Dick'S Sporting Goods and Ulta Beauty Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
1 more company in this comparison (BBY) Create a free account to keep reading and compare up to 10 companies.
DKS Dick'S Sporting Goods, Inc.
$147.63 +7.6% 1M -31.7% 1Y
Market cap
$12.46B
P/E
14.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.15B
Div. yield
0.04%
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
1 win
ULTA Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$660.70 +21.7% 1M +27.9% 1Y
Market cap
$27.89B
P/E
23.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ulta Beauty leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Ulta Beauty 7, Academy Sports & Outdoors 3, Dick'S Sporting Goods 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionASODKSULTALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.17B $12.46B $27.89B ULTA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 10.5x 14.9x 23.1x ASO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.4x 13.5x 23.6x ASO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.7% +53.5% +11.2% DKS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.4% 4.0% 9.3% ULTA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.6% 11.1% 42.9% ULTA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.6x 0.1x ULTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.04% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +47.1% -31.7% +27.9% ASO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.0%/yr +2.6%/yr +11.0%/yr ULTA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 45.2% 52.9% 36.0% ULTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 57/100 67/100 ULTA

Percentile Scorecard

ASODKSULTA

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisASODKSULTA
Valuation 80 #22 of 107 64 #39 of 107 22 #84 of 107
Growth 45 #57 of 103 50 #52 of 103 61 #41 of 103
Profitability 70 #31 of 102 61 #40 of 102 96 #5 of 102
Financial Health 62 #44 of 113 53 #54 of 113 66 #39 of 113
Shareholder Returns 65 #27 of 76 59 #32 of 76 88 #10 of 76
Overall 65 57 67
  • ASO ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • DKS ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • ULTA ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodASODKSULTASPY
1 month +30.2%+7.6%+21.7% -1.0%
3 months +41.4%-26.3%+22.5% -0.4%
6 months +24.3%-34.8%+23.5% +4.5%
Year to date +35.5%-25.4%+9.2% +12.4%
1 year +47.1%-31.7%+27.9% +13.6%
3 years +38.6%+28.1%+71.2% +76.4%
3 years, per year +11.5%+8.6%+19.6% +20.8%
5 years +47.2%+13.9%+68.6% +63.7%
5 years, per year +8.0%+2.6%+11.0% +10.4%
10 years —+160.3%+189.6% +267.7%
10 years, per year —+10.0%+11.2% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureASODKSULTASPY
Volatility, 1Y 45.2%52.9%36.0% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.3%61.8%35.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.780.800.54 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.04-0.600.77 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -54.6%-51.6%-44.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-38.3%-6.5% -1.6%
52-week high $67.69$239.17$706.82 $779.14
52-week low $41.73$121.11$450.75 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleASODKSULTA
P/E now vs peer median 10.7xmedian 18.4x 15.6xmedian 18.4x 23.5xmedian 18.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 0.5x 0.6xmedian 0.5x 2.2xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 9.6x 7.9xmedian 9.6x 14.7xmedian 9.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 16.4x 54.8xmedian 16.4x 24.6xmedian 16.4x
P/B now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.8x 2.3xmedian 1.8x 10.7xmedian 1.8x
PEG now vs peer median -3.09median 0.83 -2.15median 0.83 6.65median 0.83

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsASODKSULTA
Revenue $6.19B $21.15B $12.96B
Gross profit $2.22B $6.78B $5.09B
Operating income $591.56M $1.17B $1.61B
Net income $395.85M $838.83M $1.21B
Free cash flow $331.42M $239.41M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $6.23 $9.31 $28.10
Cash & equivalents $298.21M $913.74M $158.45M
Total debt $494.16M $1.91B $339.58M
Shares (diluted) 63.55M 90.13M 43.06M
Enterprise value $2.91B $8.38B $26.76B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricASODKSULTA
P/E 10.7x 15.6x 23.5x
P/FCF 12.7x 54.8x 24.6x
P/Operating cash flow 7.7x 8.2x 18.0x
P/S 0.7x 0.6x 2.2x
P/B 1.9x 2.3x 10.7x
P/Tangible book 2.6x 2.6x 11.6x
EV/EBITDA 6.1x 7.9x 14.7x
EV/EBIT 7.4x 12.1x 17.6x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 0.7x 2.2x
EV/FCF 13.3x 58.9x 24.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 8.0x 8.8x 18.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.09 -2.15 6.65

Growth

14 metrics
MetricASODKSULTA
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.7% 53.5% 11.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -0.1% 18.8% 6.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.0% 36.3% 12.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 1.4% 16.2% 6.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 21.3% -21.6% 2.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -6.4% -2.8% -0.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 6.7% -28.5% 0.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -9.9% -6.1% -1.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 13.7% -35.7% 5.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -3.4% -7.3% 3.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.8% 12.1% 20.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 1.7% 4.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 38.5% -48.5% 20.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.4% -39.3% 5.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricASODKSULTA
Gross margin 35.8% 32.1% 39.3%
EBITDA margin 11.6% 8.4% 14.9%
Operating margin 9.6% 5.5% 12.5%
Pretax margin 8.2% 5.5% 12.4%
Net margin 6.4% 4.0% 9.3%
FCF margin 5.4% 1.1% 8.9%
Operating cash flow margin 8.8% 7.5% 12.1%
Return on equity 18.4% 14.8% 46.6%
Return on assets 7.2% 4.7% 17.6%
Return on invested capital 17.6% 11.1% 42.9%
Return on capital employed 13.7% 8.9% 34.7%
Asset turnover 1.1x 1.2x 1.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.9x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 0.7% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricASODKSULTA
Debt / assets 9.0% 10.4% 4.9%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.3x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.6x 0.1x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 8.0x 0.3x
Liabilities / assets 60.5% 68.6% 62.0%
Equity / assets 39.5% 31.4% 38.0%
Interest coverage – 16.4x –
Current ratio 1.7x 1.5x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.3x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 2.92 2.71 7.00

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricASODKSULTA
Dividend yield 0.9% 3.4% –
Net buyback yield 6.5% 1.3% 4.2%
Shareholder yield 7.4% 4.7% 4.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 52.8% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 184.9% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 18.1% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 18.0% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusASODKSULTA
Forward P/E 9.4xFY2026 13.5xFY2026 23.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.18FY2026 $10.93FY2026 $27.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +24.2%FY2026 -17.2%FY2026 +9.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.0% +23.8% +20.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.03BFY2026 $21.45BFY2026 $13.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.3%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.5% +1.8% +13.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersASODKSULTA
Held by institutions 100.0% 77.2% 97.9%
Institutions holding 363 790 1,019
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.9% +5.5% +0.5%
Institutions buying 179 417 434
Institutions selling 125 249 436
Buyers to sellers 1.43 1.67 1.00

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ASODKSULTA
ASO 1.00 0.46 0.31
DKS 0.46 1.00 0.28
ULTA 0.31 0.28 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ASO, DKS and ULTA?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) $4.17B, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) $12.46B, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) $27.89B.

Which stock is cheaper, ASO, DKS and ULTA?

Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 10.5x, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 14.9x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 23.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) is cheapest (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 9.4x, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 13.5x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 23.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) +3.7%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) +53.5%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has the highest net margin (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 6.4%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 4.0%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 9.3%). On return on invested capital, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) leads (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 17.6%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 11.1%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 42.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) returned the most: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) +47.1%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) -31.7%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +27.9%. Over five years, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) compounded fastest (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) +8.0%/yr, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) +2.6%/yr, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 0.00%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 0.04%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 0.00%. Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) and Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has been the steadiest (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 45.2%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 52.9%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 36.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ASO, DKS and ULTA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.