VVV vs FCFS vs ULTA Stock Comparison

Valvoline, FirstCash Holdings and Ulta Beauty Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
VVV Valvoline Inc
$31.61 +10.0% 1M -6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$4.08B
P/E
40.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.96B
Div. yield
–
Personal Services Consumer Discretionary
1 win
FCFS FirstCash Holdings, Inc.
$172.75 -20.2% 1M +11.6% 1Y
Market cap
$7.62B
P/E
19.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.12B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Lending Financial Services
5 wins
ULTA Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$624.46 +14.8% 1M +19.1% 1Y
Market cap
$26.75B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.96B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Retail Consumer Discretionary
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ulta Beauty leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Ulta Beauty 5, FirstCash Holdings 5, Valvoline 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionVVVFCFSULTALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.08B $7.62B $26.75B ULTA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 40.2x 19.6x 22.1x FCFS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.6x 14.8x 22.3x FCFS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +16.1% +21.6% +11.2% FCFS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.2% 9.4% 9.3% FCFS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.8% 8.4% 42.9% ULTA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 3.3x 0.1x ULTA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.6% +11.6% +19.1% ULTA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.2%/yr +13.7%/yr +11.0%/yr FCFS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 34.6% 36.1% 35.7% VVV
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 33/100 59/100 67/100 ULTA

Percentile Scorecard

VVVFCFSULTA

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

AxisVVVFCFSULTA
Valuation 19 #27 of 33 47 #91 of 170 24 #79 of 104
Growth 31 #21 of 30 76 #41 of 165 58 #42 of 99
Profitability 75 #8 of 29 77 #36 of 155 98 #3 of 99
Financial Health 5 #37 of 39 67 #55 of 163 66 #39 of 113
Shareholder Returns – 28 #99 of 137 89 #9 of 73
Overall 33 59 67
  • VVV ranked among 39 companies in Consumer Services
  • FCFS ranked among 175 companies in Lending and Credit
  • ULTA ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodVVVFCFSULTASPY
1 month +10.0%-20.2%+14.8% -1.0%
3 months -18.9%-11.4%+31.4% +2.9%
6 months -4.9%-21.1%+11.8% +6.4%
Year to date +8.8%+8.4%+3.2% +11.4%
1 year -6.6%+11.6%+19.1% +13.1%
3 years +4.8%+69.7%+64.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +1.6%+19.3%+18.1% +21.5%
5 years -10.4%+89.9%+68.1% +67.7%
5 years, per year -2.2%+13.7%+11.0% +10.9%
10 years +46.5%+268.7%+147.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +3.9%+13.9%+9.5% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureVVVFCFSULTASPY
Volatility, 1Y 34.6%36.1%35.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 33.9%40.4%35.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.560.650.51 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.190.320.53 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.1%-36.2%-44.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.5%-26.9%-11.7% -2.5%
52-week high $40.28$236.43$706.82 $779.14
52-week low $26.62$148.05$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.

MultipleVVVFCFSULTA
P/E now vs peer median 39.8xmedian 16.9x 19.5xmedian 11.0x 22.2xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 1.3x 1.8xmedian 2.6x 2.1xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.5xmedian 9.4x 14.7xmedian 13.1x 13.9xmedian 9.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 28.7xmedian 14.5x 14.1xmedian 6.9x 23.3xmedian 16.6x
P/B now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 2.0x 3.2xmedian 0.7x 10.1xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median -0.71median 0.33 0.97median 0.31 6.29median 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 monthsVVVFCFSULTA
Revenue $1.96B $4.12B $12.96B
Gross profit $751.90M $2.08B $5.09B
Operating income $301.00M $527.40M $1.61B
Net income $101.50M $388.15M $1.21B
Free cash flow $140.50M $531.91M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $0.79 $8.81 $28.10
Cash & equivalents $84.20M $172.30M $158.45M
Total debt $1.60B $2.35B $1.10B
Shares (diluted) 128.40M 44.04M 43.06M
Enterprise value $3.79B $7.06B $25.62B

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
MetricVVVFCFSULTA
P/E 39.8x 19.5x 22.2x
P/FCF 28.7x 14.1x 23.3x
P/Operating cash flow 9.8x 11.1x 17.0x
P/S 2.1x 1.8x 2.1x
P/B 9.7x 3.2x 10.1x
P/Tangible book 9.7x 3.5x 10.9x
EV/EBITDA 12.5x 14.7x 13.9x
EV/EBIT 18.4x 18.3x 16.6x
EV/Revenue 2.8x 2.3x 2.1x
EV/FCF 39.5x 18.2x 23.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.5x 14.4x 17.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.71 0.97 6.29

Growth

14 metrics
MetricVVVFCFSULTA
Revenue growth (1Y) 16.1% 21.6% 11.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.2% 12.0% 6.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.4% 24.1% 12.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.7% 14.8% 6.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -31.6% 36.3% 2.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 7.2% 20.6% -0.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -63.5% 33.0% 0.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -59.5% 18.7% -1.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -63.5% 34.6% 5.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -56.2% 20.2% 3.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 40.6% 21.3% 20.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.3% 14.5% 4.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 129.6% 29.7% 20.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 15.5% 5.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricVVVFCFSULTA
Gross margin 38.3% 50.5% 39.3%
EBITDA margin 22.6% 15.9% 14.9%
Operating margin 15.3% 12.8% 12.5%
Pretax margin 9.0% 12.8% 12.4%
Net margin 5.2% 9.4% 9.3%
FCF margin 7.2% 12.9% 8.9%
Operating cash flow margin 21.0% 16.3% 12.1%
Return on equity 26.4% 16.8% 46.6%
Return on assets 2.9% 7.2% 17.6%
Return on invested capital 8.8% 8.4% 42.9%
Return on capital employed 9.9% 10.5% 34.7%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.8x 1.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 4.1x 1.7x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.5% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricVVVFCFSULTA
Debt / assets 46.0% 42.8% 4.9%
Debt / equity 3.8x 1.0x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x 3.3x 0.1x
Debt / FCF 11.4x 4.4x 0.3x
Liabilities / assets 88.0% 57.7% 62.0%
Equity / assets 12.0% 42.3% 38.0%
Interest coverage – 3.8x –
Current ratio 0.7x 4.9x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.4x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.74 3.31 6.79

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricVVVFCFSULTA
Dividend yield – 1.0% –
Net buyback yield – 2.3% 4.5%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 3.3% 4.5%
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.

ConsensusVVVFCFSULTA
Forward P/E 18.6xFY2026 14.8xFY2026 22.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.70FY2026 $11.64FY2026 $27.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.9%FY2026 +32.9%FY2026 +9.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.6% +8.4% +20.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.98BFY2026 $4.27BFY2026 $13.00BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +16.0%FY2026 +16.8%FY2026 +4.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +23.4% +3.9% +13.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersVVVFCFSULTA
Held by institutions 100.0% 97.2% 97.9%
Institutions holding 450 500 1,016
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.1% +2.9% +0.5%
Institutions buying 234 253 434
Institutions selling 143 166 433
Buyers to sellers 1.64 1.52 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.

VVVFCFSULTA
VVV 1.00 0.12 0.22
FCFS 0.12 1.00 -0.06
ULTA 0.22 -0.06 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, VVV, FCFS and ULTA?

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Valvoline (VVV) $4.08B, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) $7.62B, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) $26.75B.

Which stock is cheaper, VVV, FCFS and ULTA?

FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Valvoline (VVV) 40.2x, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 19.6x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) is cheapest (Valvoline (VVV) 18.6x, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 14.8x, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 22.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Valvoline (VVV) +16.1%, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +21.6%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) has the highest net margin (Valvoline (VVV) 5.2%, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 9.4%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 9.3%). On return on invested capital, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) leads (Valvoline (VVV) 8.8%, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 8.4%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 42.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ulta Beauty (ULTA) returned the most: Valvoline (VVV) -6.6%, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +11.6%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +19.1%. Over five years, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) compounded fastest (Valvoline (VVV) -2.2%/yr, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) +13.7%/yr, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) +11.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Valvoline (VVV) has been the steadiest (Valvoline (VVV) 34.6%, FirstCash Holdings (FCFS) 36.1%, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) 35.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, VVV, FCFS 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 5. 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.