BNED vs ULTA vs GOLD Stock Comparison

Barnes & Noble Education, Ulta Beauty and Gold.com Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ULTA Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$619.24 +12.8% 1M +19.4% 1Y
Market cap
$26.51B
P/E
22.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
GOLD Gold.com, Inc.
$39.04 -8.9% 1M +41.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.14B
P/E
12.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.51B
Div. yield
4.10%
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
7 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Gold.com leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Gold.com 7, Ulta Beauty 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBNEDULTAGOLDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $448.14M $26.51B $1.14B ULTA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.1x 22.0x 12.5x GOLD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.0x 22.1x 11.7x GOLD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.0% +11.2% +132.4% GOLD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.3% 9.3% 0.3% ULTA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.9% 42.9% 14.7% ULTA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 0.1x -2.6x GOLD
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.24% 0.00% 4.10% GOLD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +39.5% +19.4% +41.9% GOLD
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -58.4%/yr +11.0%/yr +0.8%/yr ULTA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 63.2% 35.7% 52.5% ULTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 65/100 70/100 GOLD

Percentile Scorecard

BNEDULTAGOLD

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

AxisBNEDULTAGOLD
Valuation 79 #23 of 104 21 #82 of 104 95 #6 of 104
Growth 90 #11 of 98 56 #44 of 98 99 #2 of 98
Profitability 53 #46 of 96 98 #3 of 96 63 #36 of 96
Financial Health 48 #58 of 110 62 #42 of 110 68 #36 of 110
Shareholder Returns 24 #54 of 71 90 #8 of 71 26 #53 of 71
Overall 59 65 70
  • BNED ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • ULTA ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • GOLD ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBNEDULTAGOLDSPY
1 month +15.9%+12.8%-8.9% +0.9%
3 months +2.9%+21.9%-2.7% +5.9%
6 months +32.5%+16.8%-13.6% +8.5%
Year to date +40.6%+2.4%+14.7% +13.3%
1 year +39.5%+19.4%+41.9% +12.4%
3 years -86.7%+63.0%+40.7% +88.1%
3 years, per year -49.0%+17.7%+12.1% +23.5%
5 years -98.8%+68.6%+4.1% +68.2%
5 years, per year -58.4%+11.0%+0.8% +11.0%
10 years -98.6%+155.6%+419.5% +263.4%
10 years, per year -34.8%+9.8%+17.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureBNEDULTAGOLDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 63.2%35.7%52.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 53.8%36.0%47.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.550.511.59 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.620.540.80 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -99.4%-44.6%-57.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.3%-12.4%-39.1% -0.9%
52-week high $13.94$706.82$64.14 $779.14
52-week low $6.12$450.75$24.73 $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.

MultipleBNEDULTAGOLD
P/E now vs peer median 20.1xmedian 16.7x 22.0xmedian 16.7x 12.5xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.4x 2.0xmedian 0.4x 0.0xmedian 0.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.2xmedian 9.2x 13.8xmedian 9.2x 2.6xmedian 9.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.2xmedian 16.0x 23.1xmedian 16.0x 0.9xmedian 16.0x
P/B now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 1.6x 10.0xmedian 1.6x 1.2xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 0.62median 0.73 6.24median 0.73 -0.57median 0.73

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 monthsBNEDULTAGOLD
Revenue $1.72B $12.96B $25.51B
Gross profit $367.84M $5.09B $453.14M
Operating income $42.45M $1.61B $177.56M
Net income $22.23M $1.21B $88.62M
Free cash flow $48.80M $1.15B $1.21B
EPS (diluted) $0.64 $28.10 $3.02
Cash & equivalents $7.81M $158.45M $577.98M
Total debt $123.50M $339.58M $4.21M
Shares (diluted) 34.53M 43.06M 27.26M
Enterprise value $410.06M $25.37B $236.69M

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
MetricBNEDULTAGOLD
P/E 20.1x 22.0x 12.5x
P/FCF 9.2x 23.1x 0.9x
P/Operating cash flow 6.9x 16.9x 0.9x
P/S 0.3x 2.0x 0.0x
P/B 1.6x 10.0x 1.2x
P/Tangible book 2.0x 10.8x 1.4x
EV/EBITDA 7.2x 13.8x 2.6x
EV/EBIT 13.3x 16.5x 3.2x
EV/Revenue 0.3x 2.1x 0.0x
EV/FCF 11.6x 23.2x 0.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 8.7x 17.0x 0.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.62 6.24 -0.57

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBNEDULTAGOLD
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.0% 11.2% 132.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 6.5% 40.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.6% 12.1% 114.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 2.5% 6.4% 15.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 34.9% 2.1% 147.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 38.4% -0.6% -5.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.1% 0.7% 459.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 30.4% -1.4% -17.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 10.6% 5.5% 326.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.6% 3.5% -21.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 781.0% 20.9% 702.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 84.2% 4.6% 248.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 320.0% 20.7% 754.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 49.1% 5.7% 231.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBNEDULTAGOLD
Gross margin 21.4% 39.3% 1.8%
EBITDA margin 4.5% 14.9% 0.8%
Operating margin 2.5% 12.5% 0.7%
Pretax margin 1.6% 12.4% 0.4%
Net margin 1.3% 9.3% 0.3%
FCF margin 2.8% 8.9% 4.7%
Operating cash flow margin 3.8% 12.1% 4.8%
Return on equity 7.8% 46.6% 9.6%
Return on assets 2.8% 17.6% 2.1%
Return on invested capital 8.9% 42.9% 14.7%
Return on capital employed 9.7% 34.7% 17.6%
Asset turnover 2.2x 1.9x 6.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.9x 1.3x 13.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 0.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBNEDULTAGOLD
Debt / assets 14.6% 4.9% 0.1%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.1x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 0.1x -2.6x
Debt / FCF 2.5x 0.3x 0.0x
Liabilities / assets 67.1% 62.0% 77.3%
Equity / assets 32.9% 38.0% 22.7%
Interest coverage – – 5.3x
Current ratio 1.7x 1.3x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.83 6.76 6.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBNEDULTAGOLD
Dividend yield 1.2% – 4.1%
Net buyback yield – 4.5% -12.6%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 4.5% -8.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusBNEDULTAGOLD
Forward P/E 14.0xFY2026 22.1xFY2026 11.7xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $0.92FY2026 $27.98FY2026 $3.33FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +41.5%FY2026 +9.1%FY2026 +10.3%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +1,038.0% +20.3% +29.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.85BFY2026 $13.00BFY2026 $20.58BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +8.0%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026 -19.3%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +6.2% +13.0% -12.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBNEDULTAGOLD
Held by institutions 77.2% 97.9% 59.4%
Institutions holding 111 1,016 222
Change in shares held, QoQ +8.3% +0.5% +4.0%
Institutions buying 63 434 131
Institutions selling 29 433 62
Buyers to sellers 2.17 1.00 2.11

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.

BNEDULTAGOLD
BNED 1.00 0.17 0.11
ULTA 0.17 1.00 0.13
GOLD 0.11 0.13 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BNED, ULTA and GOLD?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) $448.14M, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) $26.51B, Gold.com (GOLD) $1.14B.

Which stock is cheaper, BNED, ULTA and GOLD?

Gold.com (GOLD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 20.1x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.0x, Gold.com (GOLD) 12.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Gold.com (GOLD) is cheapest (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 14.0x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.1x, Gold.com (GOLD) 11.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Gold.com (GOLD) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) +5.0%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.2%, Gold.com (GOLD) +132.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has the highest net margin (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 1.3%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 9.3%, Gold.com (GOLD) 0.3%). On return on invested capital, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) leads (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 8.9%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 42.9%, Gold.com (GOLD) 14.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Gold.com (GOLD) returned the most: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) +39.5%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +19.4%, Gold.com (GOLD) +41.9%. Over five years, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) compounded fastest (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) -58.4%/yr, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.0%/yr, Gold.com (GOLD) +0.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Gold.com (GOLD) has the highest dividend yield: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 1.24%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 0.00%, Gold.com (GOLD) 4.10%. Ulta Beauty (ULTA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has been the steadiest (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 63.2%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 35.7%, Gold.com (GOLD) 52.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BNED, ULTA and GOLD?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Gold.com (GOLD) 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.