VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

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

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

ODFL · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$36.2B
Gross margin (TTM)33%
Operating margin (TTM)25%
Net margin (TTM)19%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryTrucking
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-06
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 Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ODFL 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: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. leads (70 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. has 2 segments (99.1% in LTL Services); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. has 6 moat types across 2 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

LTL Services

Market

Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation

Geography

United States (primarily); broader North America via alliances

Customer

B2B shippers

Role

Asset-based carrier (pickup, linehaul, delivery)

Revenue share

99.1%

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

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
ODFL - NASDAQ
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$36.2B
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
33%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
25%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
19%
9.9%
Sector
Industrials
Consumer
Industry
Trucking
Specialty Retail
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
LTL Services
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
11%-13% (implied)
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
70 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2026-01-06
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Physical Network DensitySuite Bundling

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. strengths

Operational ExcellenceScale Economies Unit CostBrand TrustData Workflow Lockin

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralContractual ExclusivityPreferential Input AccessData Network EffectsTwo Sided NetworkFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. segments

Full profile >

LTL Services

Oligopoly

99.1%

Other Services (Drayage, Brokerage, Supply Chain Consulting)

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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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.