BNED vs ULTA vs SIG Stock Comparison

Barnes & Noble Education, Ulta Beauty and Signet Jewelers Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ULTA Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$625.33 +14.7% 1M +20.8% 1Y
Market cap
$26.94B
P/E
22.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
7 wins
SIG Signet Jewelers Ltd
$115.01 +12.5% 1M +10.9% 1Y
Market cap
$4.57B
P/E
12.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.82B
Div. yield
0.01%
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ulta Beauty leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Ulta Beauty 7, Signet Jewelers 3, Barnes & Noble Education 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBNEDULTASIGLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $467.91M $26.94B $4.57B ULTA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.0x 22.3x 12.9x SIG
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.8x 22.3x 9.5x SIG
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.0% +11.2% +0.6% ULTA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.3% 9.3% 5.2% ULTA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.9% 42.9% — ULTA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 0.1x — ULTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +44.1% +20.8% +10.9% BNED
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -57.9%/yr +11.1%/yr +5.8%/yr ULTA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 63.2% 35.7% 50.0% ULTA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 66/100 67/100 SIG

Percentile Scorecard

BNEDULTASIG

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

AxisBNEDULTASIG
Valuation 78 #24 of 104 19 #84 of 104 76 #26 of 104
Growth 89 #12 of 99 58 #42 of 99 47 #53 of 99
Profitability 54 #46 of 99 98 #3 of 99 71 #29 of 99
Financial Health 50 #57 of 113 67 #38 of 113 58 #48 of 113
Shareholder Returns 21 #58 of 73 89 #9 of 73 81 #15 of 73
Overall 58 66 67
  • BNED ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • ULTA ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • SIG ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodBNEDULTASIGSPY
1 month +20.4%+14.7%+12.5% -0.8%
3 months +6.2%+30.1%+20.2% +3.5%
6 months +28.9%+15.9%+31.0% +7.0%
Year to date +48.3%+3.4%+38.8% +12.2%
1 year +44.1%+20.8%+10.9% +13.0%
3 years -86.0%+64.6%+69.8% +86.3%
3 years, per year -48.0%+18.1%+19.3% +23.1%
5 years -98.7%+69.1%+32.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year -57.9%+11.1%+5.8% +11.0%
10 years -98.6%+154.3%+39.5% +258.0%
10 years, per year -34.6%+9.8%+3.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureBNEDULTASIGSPY
Volatility, 1Y 63.2%35.7%50.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 53.6%36.0%43.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.560.521.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.700.580.22 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -99.4%-44.6%-57.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.2%-11.5%-2.8% -1.8%
52-week high $13.94$706.82$118.38 $779.14
52-week low $6.12$450.75$73.94 $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.

MultipleBNEDULTASIG
P/E now vs peer median 21.2xmedian 16.7x 22.2xmedian 16.7x 12.7xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.5x 2.1xmedian 0.5x 0.7xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.6xmedian 9.0x 13.9xmedian 9.0x 6.4xmedian 9.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 16.5x 23.3xmedian 16.5x 8.3xmedian 16.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.7xmedian 1.7x 10.1xmedian 1.7x 2.4xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.65median 0.72 6.30median 0.72 4.90median 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 monthsBNEDULTASIG
Revenue $1.72B $12.96B $6.82B
Gross profit $367.84M $5.09B $2.66B
Operating income $42.45M $1.61B $466.60M
Net income $22.23M $1.21B $353.80M
Free cash flow $48.80M $1.15B $536.50M
EPS (diluted) $0.64 $28.10 $9.00
Cash & equivalents $7.81M $158.45M $526.80M
Total debt $123.50M $339.58M –
Shares (diluted) 34.53M 43.06M 39.30M
Enterprise value $429.82M $25.81B $2.33B

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
MetricBNEDULTASIG
P/E 21.2x 22.2x 12.7x
P/FCF 9.7x 23.3x 8.3x
P/Operating cash flow 7.3x 17.1x 6.4x
P/S 0.3x 2.1x 0.7x
P/B 1.7x 10.1x 2.4x
P/Tangible book 2.1x 11.0x 2.8x
EV/EBITDA 7.6x 13.9x 6.4x
EV/EBIT 13.9x 16.7x 8.4x
EV/Revenue 0.3x 2.1x 0.6x
EV/FCF 12.1x 23.4x 7.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.1x 17.2x 5.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.65 6.30 4.90

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBNEDULTASIG
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.0% 11.2% 0.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 6.5% -3.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.6% 12.1% -0.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 2.5% 6.4% -2.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 34.9% 2.1% 119.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 38.4% -0.6% -8.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.1% 0.7% 168.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 30.4% -1.4% -10.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 10.6% 5.5% 183.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.6% 3.5% 2.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 781.0% 20.9% 12.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 84.2% 4.6% 1.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 320.0% 20.7% 18.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 49.1% 5.7% 0.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBNEDULTASIG
Gross margin 21.4% 39.3% 39.1%
EBITDA margin 4.5% 14.9% 8.9%
Operating margin 2.5% 12.5% 6.8%
Pretax margin 1.6% 12.4% 6.8%
Net margin 1.3% 9.3% 5.2%
FCF margin 2.8% 8.9% 7.9%
Operating cash flow margin 3.8% 12.1% 10.2%
Return on equity 7.8% 46.6% 19.0%
Return on assets 2.8% 17.6% 6.3%
Return on invested capital 8.9% 42.9% –
Return on capital employed 9.7% 34.7% 11.7%
Asset turnover 2.2x 1.9x 1.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.9x 1.3x 2.0x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBNEDULTASIG
Debt / assets 14.6% 4.9% –
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.1x –
Net debt / EBITDA 1.5x 0.1x –
Debt / FCF 2.5x 0.3x –
Liabilities / assets 67.1% 62.0% 67.1%
Equity / assets 32.9% 38.0% 32.9%
Interest coverage – – –
Current ratio 1.7x 1.3x 1.6x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 1.86 6.79 3.45

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBNEDULTASIG
Dividend yield 1.2% – 1.2%
Net buyback yield – 4.5% 5.1%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 4.5% 6.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 15.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 9.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.1%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 12.0%

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.

ConsensusBNEDULTASIG
Forward P/E 14.8xFY2026 22.3xFY2026 9.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.92FY2026 $27.98FY2026 $12.10FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +41.5%FY2026 +9.1%FY2026 +26.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +1,038.0% +20.3% +8.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.85BFY2026 $13.00BFY2026 $7.16BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.0%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026 +5.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.2% +13.0% -7.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBNEDULTASIG
Held by institutions 77.2% 97.9% 100.0%
Institutions holding 111 1,016 333
Change in shares held, QoQ +8.3% +0.5% -2.7%
Institutions buying 63 434 174
Institutions selling 29 433 112
Buyers to sellers 2.17 1.00 1.55

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.

BNEDULTASIG
BNED 1.00 0.18 0.20
ULTA 0.18 1.00 0.29
SIG 0.20 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BNED, ULTA and SIG?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) $467.91M, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) $26.94B, Signet Jewelers (SIG) $4.57B.

Which stock is cheaper, BNED, ULTA and SIG?

Signet Jewelers (SIG) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 21.0x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.3x, Signet Jewelers (SIG) 12.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Signet Jewelers (SIG) is cheapest (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 14.8x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.3x, Signet Jewelers (SIG) 9.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) +5.0%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.2%, Signet Jewelers (SIG) +0.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has the highest net margin (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 1.3%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 9.3%, Signet Jewelers (SIG) 5.2%). On return on invested capital, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) leads (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 8.9%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 42.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) returned the most: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) +44.1%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +20.8%, Signet Jewelers (SIG) +10.9%. Over five years, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) compounded fastest (Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) -57.9%/yr, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.1%/yr, Signet Jewelers (SIG) +5.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) 0.00%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 0.00%, Signet Jewelers (SIG) 0.01%. Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) and 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%, Signet Jewelers (SIG) 50.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.