VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Amgen Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

Amgen Inc.

AMGN · Nasdaq Stock Market

Market cap (USD)$175.6B
Gross margin (TTM)66.2%
Operating margin (TTM)24.1%
Net margin (TTM)19.5%
SectorHealthcare
IndustryDrug Manufacturers - General
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-22
Moat score
70/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Amgen Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AMGN analysis

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

ULTA · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)13.2%
Net margin (TTM)9.9%
SectorConsumer
IndustrySpecialty Retail
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-06
Moat score
58/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Ulta Beauty, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ULTA analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Amgen Inc. leads (70 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Amgen Inc. has 3 segments (80.1% in Core Innovative Medicines); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Moat breadth: Amgen Inc. has 5 moat types across 3 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

Amgen Inc.

Core Innovative Medicines

Market

Branded biopharmaceutical therapies for common diseases (bone health, inflammation, oncology, cardiovascular and other specialty areas)

Geography

Global

Customer

Payers, providers, and pharmacies

Role

Drug developer/manufacturer

Revenue share

80.1%

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

Beauty Products Retail

Market

U.S. beauty products retail (specialty omnichannel beauty retailer)

Geography

United States

Customer

Consumers (end-users) shopping in-store and online

Role

Specialty retailer / distributor

Revenue share

94%

Side-by-side metrics

Amgen Inc.
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
AMGN - Nasdaq Stock Market
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$175.6B
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
66.2%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
24.1%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
19.5%
9.9%
Sector
Healthcare
Consumer
Industry
Drug Manufacturers - General
Specialty Retail
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Core Innovative Medicines
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Competitive
Competitive
Market share
n/a
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
70 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Supply, Demand
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-22
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Amgen Inc. strengths

IP Choke PointRegulated Standards PipeCapex Knowhow ScaleBrand TrustLearning Curve Yield

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralPhysical Network DensityContractual ExclusivityPreferential Input AccessSuite BundlingData Network EffectsTwo Sided NetworkFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Amgen Inc. segments

Full profile >

Core Innovative Medicines

Competitive

80.1%

Rare Disease Portfolio (Horizon + others)

Quasi-Monopoly

13.3%

Biosimilars

Oligopoly

6.6%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Beauty Products Retail

Competitive

94%

Beauty Services

Competitive

4%

Platform Monetization (Retail Media, Credit Cards, Partner Royalties, Deferred Revenue)

Competitive

2%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

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Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.