ASO vs ULTA vs DKS Stock Comparison

Academy Sports & Outdoors, Ulta Beauty and Dick'S Sporting Goods Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ULTA Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$626.88 +15.0% 1M +19.9% 1Y
Market cap
$26.52B
P/E
21.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
7 wins
DKS Dick'S Sporting Goods, Inc.
$141.32 +3.6% 1M -38.4% 1Y
Market cap
$12.07B
P/E
14.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$21.15B
Div. yield
0.04%
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
1 win

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.

QuestionASOULTADKSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.64B $26.52B $12.07B ULTA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 9.2x 21.9x 14.4x ASO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.3x 22.4x 12.9x ASO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.7% +11.2% +53.5% DKS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 6.4% 9.3% 4.0% ULTA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.6% 42.9% 11.1% ULTA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.1x 0.6x ULTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.04% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +19.9% +19.9% -38.4% ASO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.7%/yr +11.1%/yr +2.8%/yr ULTA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.0% 35.6% 52.0% ULTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 66/100 55/100 ULTA

Percentile Scorecard

ASOULTADKS

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

AxisASOULTADKS
Valuation 82 #20 of 104 21 #82 of 104 61 #41 of 104
Growth 41 #59 of 99 58 #42 of 99 48 #52 of 99
Profitability 70 #30 of 98 97 #4 of 98 57 #43 of 98
Financial Health 61 #44 of 112 64 #41 of 112 52 #54 of 112
Shareholder Returns 69 #23 of 72 89 #9 of 72 58 #31 of 72
Overall 65 66 55
  • ASO ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • ULTA ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • DKS ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodASOULTADKSSPY
1 month +20.7%+15.0%+3.6% -0.2%
3 months +17.7%+25.0%-33.2% +3.9%
6 months +9.1%+16.5%-37.6% +8.2%
Year to date +18.8%+3.6%-28.6% +12.9%
1 year +19.9%+19.9%-38.4% +12.3%
3 years +37.1%+65.0%+39.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +11.1%+18.2%+11.8% +23.3%
5 years +38.1%+69.2%+14.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year +6.7%+11.1%+2.8% +10.9%
10 years —+161.4%+158.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year —+10.1%+9.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureASOULTADKSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.0%35.6%52.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.8%36.0%61.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.750.510.80 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.450.56-0.74 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -54.6%-44.6%-51.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.0%-11.3%-40.9% -1.2%
52-week high $61.78$706.82$239.17 $779.14
52-week low $41.73$450.75$121.11 $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.

MultipleASOULTADKS
P/E now vs peer median 9.3xmedian 16.7x 22.3xmedian 16.7x 15.0xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.6xmedian 0.5x 2.1xmedian 0.5x 0.6xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 5.4xmedian 9.0x 13.9xmedian 9.0x 7.6xmedian 9.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.1xmedian 16.5x 23.3xmedian 16.5x 52.4xmedian 16.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.7x 10.1xmedian 1.7x 2.2xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median -2.71median 0.72 6.31median 0.72 -2.06median 0.72

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 monthsASOULTADKS
Revenue $6.19B $12.96B $21.15B
Gross profit $2.22B $5.09B $6.78B
Operating income $591.56M $1.61B $1.17B
Net income $395.85M $1.21B $838.83M
Free cash flow $331.42M $1.15B $239.41M
EPS (diluted) $6.23 $28.10 $9.31
Cash & equivalents $298.21M $158.45M $913.74M
Total debt $494.16M $339.58M $1.91B
Shares (diluted) 63.55M 43.06M 90.13M
Enterprise value $2.39B $25.39B $7.98B

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
MetricASOULTADKS
P/E 9.3x 22.3x 15.0x
P/FCF 11.1x 23.3x 52.4x
P/Operating cash flow 6.7x 17.1x 7.9x
P/S 0.6x 2.1x 0.6x
P/B 1.7x 10.1x 2.2x
P/Tangible book 2.3x 11.0x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA 5.4x 13.9x 7.6x
EV/EBIT 6.6x 16.7x 11.6x
EV/Revenue 0.6x 2.1x 0.6x
EV/FCF 11.7x 23.5x 56.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 7.1x 17.2x 8.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.71 6.31 -2.06

Growth

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

Profitability

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

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricASOULTADKS
Debt / assets 9.0% 4.9% 10.4%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.1x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.1x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 0.3x 8.0x
Liabilities / assets 60.5% 62.0% 68.6%
Equity / assets 39.5% 38.0% 31.4%
Interest coverage – – 16.4x
Current ratio 1.7x 1.3x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.82 6.80 2.68

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricASOULTADKS
Dividend yield 1.0% – 3.5%
Net buyback yield 7.4% 4.5% 1.4%
Shareholder yield 8.4% 4.5% 4.9%
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.

ConsensusASOULTADKS
Forward P/E 8.3xFY2026 22.4xFY2026 12.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.18FY2026 $27.98FY2026 $10.93FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +24.2%FY2026 +9.1%FY2026 -17.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -6.0% +20.3% +23.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.03BFY2026 $13.00BFY2026 $21.45BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.3%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026 +24.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.5% +13.0% +1.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersASOULTADKS
Held by institutions 100.0% 97.9% 77.2%
Institutions holding 362 1,016 788
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.9% +0.5% +5.5%
Institutions buying 179 434 416
Institutions selling 125 433 249
Buyers to sellers 1.43 1.00 1.67

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.

ASOULTADKS
ASO 1.00 0.29 0.44
ULTA 0.29 1.00 0.26
DKS 0.44 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ASO, ULTA and DKS?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) $3.64B, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) $26.52B, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) $12.07B.

Which stock is cheaper, ASO, ULTA and DKS?

Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 9.2x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 21.9x, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 14.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) is cheapest (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) 8.3x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.4x, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 12.9x). 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%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.2%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) +53.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

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

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) returned the most: Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) +19.9%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +19.9%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) -38.4%. Over five years, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) compounded fastest (Academy Sports & Outdoors (ASO) +6.7%/yr, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.1%/yr, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) +2.8%/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%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 0.00%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 0.04%. 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) 44.0%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 35.6%, Dick'S Sporting Goods (DKS) 52.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.