Which is better, PKG or ULTA?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) currently grades higher than PKG — 68/100 (B grade) vs 50/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — PKG wins on Benjamin Graham; ULTA wins on Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy PKG or ULTA?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both PKG and ULTA are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is PKG better than ULTA for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, ULTA currently grades higher — 68/100 vs 50/100, a 18-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between PKG and ULTA on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). PKG currently scores 50/100 (C grade); ULTA scores 68/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, PKG or ULTA?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. PKG and ULTA are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, PKG or ULTA?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are PKG and ULTA both Consumer Cyclical stocks?

Yes — both Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) and Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) operate in the Consumer Cyclical sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this PKG vs ULTA comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Packaging Corporation of America

Ulta Beauty

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

PKG

Market cap

$19.24B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

ULTA

Ulta Beauty

Market cap

$22.53B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

Overall winner

Ulta Beauty ULTA

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	PKG	ULTA	Winner
Warren Buffett	50C	68B	ULTA
Benjamin Graham	77B	68B	PKG
Philip Fisher	25F	47D	ULTA
Peter Lynch	18F	53C	ULTA
Joel Greenblatt	32F	47D	ULTA
Charlie Munger	43D	61C	ULTA
Terry Smith	37D	60C	ULTA

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	PKG	ULTA
Market cap	$19.24B	$22.53B
P/E (TTM)	25.3x	19.2x
EV/EBIT	18.2x	15.1x
ROIC (TTM)	9.34%	22.75%
Gross margin	20.48%	39.1%
Net margin	8.03%	9.31%
Revenue CAGR 5y	3.84%	9.47%
EPS CAGR 5y	-0.74%	9.2%
Debt / Equity	1.0x	0.8x
Dividend yield	2.36%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

PKG leads on

Dividend yield2.36%vs 0.0%+100%

ULTA leads on

EPS CAGR 5y9.2%vs -0.74%+108%
Revenue CAGR 5y9.47%vs 3.84%+59%
ROIC (TTM)22.75%vs 9.34%+59%
Gross margin39.1%vs 20.48%+48%

More like PKG

PKG vs DECK PKG vs ROL PKG vs YUM PKG vs HOVNP PKG vs RACE PKG vs ATAT

More like ULTA

ULTA vs DECK ULTA vs ROL ULTA vs YUM ULTA vs HOVNP ULTA vs RACE ULTA vs ATAT

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for PKG Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ULTA

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Packaging Corporation of America

Ulta Beauty

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

PKG

Packaging Corporation of America

Market cap

$19.24B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

ULTA

Ulta Beauty

Market cap

$22.53B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

Overall winner

Ulta Beauty ULTA

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	PKG	ULTA	Winner
Warren Buffett	50C	68B	ULTA
Benjamin Graham	77B	68B	PKG
Philip Fisher	25F	47D	ULTA
Peter Lynch	18F	53C	ULTA
Joel Greenblatt	32F	47D	ULTA
Charlie Munger	43D	61C	ULTA
Terry Smith	37D	60C	ULTA

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	PKG	ULTA
Market cap	$19.24B	$22.53B
P/E (TTM)	25.3x	19.2x
EV/EBIT	18.2x	15.1x
ROIC (TTM)	9.34%	22.75%
Gross margin	20.48%	39.1%
Net margin	8.03%	9.31%
Revenue CAGR 5y	3.84%	9.47%
EPS CAGR 5y	-0.74%	9.2%
Debt / Equity	1.0x	0.8x
Dividend yield	2.36%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

PKG leads on

Dividend yield2.36%vs 0.0%+100%

ULTA leads on

EPS CAGR 5y9.2%vs -0.74%+108%
Revenue CAGR 5y9.47%vs 3.84%+59%
ROIC (TTM)22.75%vs 9.34%+59%
Gross margin39.1%vs 20.48%+48%

More like PKG

PKG vs DECK PKG vs ROL PKG vs YUM PKG vs HOVNP PKG vs RACE PKG vs ATAT

More like ULTA

ULTA vs DECK ULTA vs ROL ULTA vs YUM ULTA vs HOVNP ULTA vs RACE ULTA vs ATAT

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for PKG Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for ULTA

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.