VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Amazon.com, Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

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

Amazon.com, Inc.

AMZN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$2.6T
Gross margin (TTM)50.1%
Operating margin (TTM)11%
Net margin (TTM)11.1%
SectorConsumer
IndustrySpecialty Retail
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-29
Moat score
87/ 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 Amazon.com, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AMZN 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: Amazon.com, Inc. leads (87 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Amazon.com, Inc. has 4 segments (73.5% in Amazon Stores (Retail, Marketplace, Prime Subscriptions)); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Amazon.com, Inc. has 10 moat types across 4 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

Amazon.com, Inc.

Amazon Stores (Retail, Marketplace, Prime Subscriptions)

Market

US retail ecommerce marketplace and online retail (integrated fulfillment + membership shipping)

Geography

United States

Customer

Consumers and third-party merchants

Role

Marketplace operator, retailer, and fulfillment provider

Revenue share

73.5%

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

Amazon.com, Inc.
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
AMZN - NASDAQ
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$2.6T
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
50.1%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
11%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
11.1%
9.9%
Sector
Consumer
Consumer
Industry
Specialty Retail
Specialty Retail
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Amazon Stores (Retail, Marketplace, Prime Subscriptions)
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
39%-42% (estimated)
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
87 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Network, Financial
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Two Sided NetworkPhysical Network DensitySuite BundlingData Network Effects

Amazon.com, Inc. strengths

Capex Knowhow ScaleScope EconomiesLong Term ContractsHabit DefaultNegative Working CapitalDistribution Control

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralContractual ExclusivityPreferential Input AccessFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Amazon.com, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Oligopoly

16.9%

Amazon Stores (Retail, Marketplace, Prime Subscriptions)

Oligopoly

73.5%

Advertising Services (Amazon Ads / Retail Media)

Oligopoly

8.8%

Other (healthcare, content licensing/distribution, shipping services, co-branded credit card agreements, etc.)

Competitive

0.9%

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.