VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

HII · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$15.2B
Gross margin (TTM)12.5%
Operating margin (TTM)4.8%
Net margin (TTM)4.7%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryAerospace & Defense
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-23
Moat score
83/ 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View HII 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: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. leads (83 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has 3 segments (51.7% in Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Primary market structure: Quasi-Monopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Market

U.S. Navy nuclear shipbuilding and carrier lifecycle services (CVN construction/RCOH/inactivation + SSN/SSBN construction)

Geography

United States

Customer

U.S. Government (U.S. Navy)

Role

Prime contractor shipyard / integrator

Revenue share

51.7%

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
HII - New York Stock Exchange
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$15.2B
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
12.5%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
4.8%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
4.7%
9.9%
Sector
Industrials
Consumer
Industry
Aerospace & Defense
Specialty Retail
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Quasi-Monopoly
Competitive
Market share
n/a
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
83 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Supply, Demand
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-23
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Contractual Exclusivity

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. strengths

Capex Knowhow ScaleCompliance AdvantageDesign In QualificationLong Term ContractsGovernment Contracting Relationships

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralPhysical Network DensityPreferential Input AccessSuite BundlingData Network EffectsTwo Sided NetworkFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Quasi-Monopoly

51.7%

Ingalls Shipbuilding (Non-Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Quasi-Monopoly

23.9%

Mission Technologies (Defense Tech & Services)

Competitive

24.4%

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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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

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.