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Compare Stocks › BRK-B vs ULTA

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA)

BRK-B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
$481.48
VS
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
$534.10

Rewards

BRK-B
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $1.66 of market value — management is creating shareholder value.
  • ★Net debt/EBITDA of -2.2x means the company holds more cash than debt — a net cash position.
ULTA
  • ★Ulta Beauty, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Ulta Beauty, Inc. scores 89/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

Risks

BRK-B
  • ⚠Berkshire Hathaway Inc. scores only 16/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
  • ⚠Trailing P/E of 15.5x is 75% above the historical average of 8.9x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
ULTA

    Key Valuation Metrics

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    BRK-B
    ULTA
    Valuation
    $36.80B
    Free Cash Flow
    $900.10M
    3.54%
    FCF Yield
    3.76%
    15.50
    Trailing P/E
    20.83
    22.11
    Forward P/E
    16.96
    Quality & Moat
    11.31%
    ROIC
    24.02%
    9.30%
    ROE
    41.15%
    26.15%
    Gross Margin
    39.10%
    N/A
    PEG Ratio
    N/A
    Balance Sheet Safety
    0.19
    Debt / Equity
    0.78
    N/A
    Interest Coverage
    N/A
    -2.15
    Net Debt / EBITDA
    0.92
    N/A
    Dividend Yield
    N/A
    BRK-B: 4Ties: 1ULTA: 5
    BRK-BULTA

    Historical Fundamentals

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    BRK-B

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    ULTA

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    $1 Retained Earnings Test

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    BRK-B
    $1.66
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $252.19B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$417.98B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
    ULTA
    $0.88
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Mediocre Allocator
    Σ Retained
    $3.73B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$3.27B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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    BRK-B
    31.1% Margin of Safety
    Price is 31.1% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $481.48
    Fair Value: $699.14
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued
    ULTA
    17.1% Margin of Safety
    Price is 17.1% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $534.10
    Fair Value: $644.58
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued

    Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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    BRK-B

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $481?

    +0.7%
    Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
    Standard FCF implies +8.8%

    The market implies +0.7% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

    Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.8%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

    ULTA

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $534?

    +8.6%
    Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
    Standard FCF implies +12.5%

    The market implies +8.6% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.

    Standard FCF implies +12.5%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.

    Economic Moat Score

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    BRK-B
    16/100
    No Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
    ULTA
    89/100
    Wide Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

    Forensic Accounting

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    BRK-B
    -2.41
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
    ULTA
    -2.56
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Ownership Breakdown

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    BRK-B
    Insiders 0.3%Institutions 66.2%Retail & Other 33.5%
    No. of Institutional Holders5,852
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
    ULTA
    Insiders 0.5%Institutions 100.2%
    No. of Institutional Holders1,581
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    Insider Buying Activity

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    BRK-B
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    No open market insider purchases found.
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
    ULTA
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    STEELMAN KECIA
    Chief Executive Officer
    $499,528
    @ $346.89 · 2025-03-20
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

    Insider Selling Activity

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    BRK-B
    0
    Sells (3M)
    0
    Sells (12M)
    No open market insider sales found.
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
    ULTA
    0
    Sells (3M)
    2
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $597,199
    SMITH MICHAEL C
    Director
    $264,215
    @ $528.43 · 2025-09-04
    CARO JODI J
    General Counsel
    $332,984
    @ $369.16 · 2025-04-01
    HALLIGAN CATHERINE ANN
    Director
    $39,008
    @ $390.08 · 2024-07-02
    CARO JODI J
    General Counsel
    $252,639
    @ $388.68 · 2024-06-25
    MRKONIC GEORGE R JR
    Director
    $154,568
    @ $389.34 · 2024-06-04
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

    🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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    BRK-B
    FearGreed
    😐Neutral(48/100)

    "Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
    ULTA
    FearGreed
    😨Fear(28/100)

    "Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    ⚖️ Buffett Signal

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    BRK-B
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (48)
    ULTA
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (28)
    View BRK-B Full AnalysisView ULTA Full Analysis