Is PKG or ULTA cheaper?

On trailing earnings, ULTA is cheaper: PKG trades at a 28.32 P/E and ULTA at 17.22.

Which has grown faster, PKG or ULTA?

Over the past five years, ULTA grew revenue faster — PKG at a 6.41% CAGR versus ULTA at 12.93%.

Does PKG or ULTA pay a bigger dividend?

PKG pays a dividend (2.25% yield) while ULTA does not currently pay one.

Is PKG or ULTA more profitable?

ULTA runs the higher net margin — PKG at 8.03% versus ULTA at 9.36%.

Which has been the better investment, PKG or ULTA?

Over the past 10-year, PKG delivered the higher annualized total return — PKG at 16.26% versus ULTA at 6.62%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) vs Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA)

ULTA leads on 11 of 16 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Packaging Corporation of America and Ulta Beauty, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 24, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

PKG

Packaging Corporation of America

$20.74B

$232.83Consumer Cyclical

ULTA

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

$19.75B

$459.33Consumer Cyclical

Total return — PKG vs ULTA

growth of $100 · last 19y

PKG +668.2%ULTA +1440.3%ULTA compounded faster

PKG ULTA

PKG vs ULTA: by the numbers

•PKG is the larger company ($20.74B vs $19.75B market cap).
•ULTA trades at the lower earnings multiple (17.22 vs 28.32 P/E).
•ULTA converts more revenue to profit (9.36% vs 8.03% net margin).
•ULTA grew revenue faster over the past five years (12.93% vs 6.41% CAGR).
•PKG pays a dividend (2.25% yield) while ULTA does not currently pay one.

Which is better, PKG or ULTA?

Metric tally: PKG 5 · ULTA 11

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueULTA(lower P/E)

GrowthULTA(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityULTA(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	PKG	ULTA
P/E ratio	28.32	17.22●
Forward P/E	22.50	14.38●
P/S ratio	2.25	1.59●
P/B ratio	4.52●	7.82
PEG ratio	2.34●	22.87
EV / EBITDA	13.31	11.80●
FCF yield	3.39%	5.19%●

Profitability

Metric	PKG	ULTA
Gross margin	20.48%	39.33%●
Operating margin	13.16%●	12.54%
Net margin	8.03%	9.36%●
ROE	16.14%	46.06%●
ROIC	9.44%	22.76%●

Dividends

Metric	PKG	ULTA
Dividend yield	2.25%	—
Payout ratio	60.98%	—

Growth (annualized)

Metric	PKG	ULTA
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.41%	12.93%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	12.12%	52.49%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.94%●	0.55%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.92%●	6.13%

Frequently asked

Which is better, PKG or ULTA?: It depends on your goal. value: ULTA (lower P/E); growth: ULTA (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: ULTA (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, ULTA leads 11 to 5.
Is PKG or ULTA cheaper?: On trailing earnings, ULTA is cheaper: PKG trades at a 28.32 P/E and ULTA at 17.22.
Which has grown faster, PKG or ULTA?: Over the past five years, ULTA grew revenue faster — PKG at a 6.41% CAGR versus ULTA at 12.93%.
Does PKG or ULTA pay a bigger dividend?: PKG pays a dividend (2.25% yield) while ULTA does not currently pay one.
Is PKG or ULTA more profitable?: ULTA runs the higher net margin — PKG at 8.03% versus ULTA at 9.36%.
Which has been the better investment, PKG or ULTA?: Over the past 10-year, PKG delivered the higher annualized total return — PKG at 16.26% versus ULTA at 6.62%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full PKG analysis Full ULTA analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Packaging Corporation of America P/E ratio Ulta Beauty P/E ratio Packaging Corporation of America dividend yield Ulta Beauty dividend yield Packaging Corporation of America ROE Ulta Beauty ROE Packaging Corporation of America operating margin Ulta Beauty operating margin Packaging Corporation of America revenue growth Ulta Beauty revenue growth Packaging Corporation of America free cash flow Ulta Beauty free cash flow

Packaging Corporation of America & Ulta Beauty appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 24, 2026.