VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

PDD Holdings Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

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

PDD Holdings Inc.

PDD · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$168.7B
Gross margin (TTM)56.7%
Operating margin (TTM)22.1%
Net margin (TTM)24.4%
SectorConsumer
IndustrySpecialty Retail
CountryKY
Data as of2025-12-29
Moat score
44/ 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 PDD Holdings Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View PDD 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: Ulta Beauty, Inc. leads (58 / 100 vs 44 / 100 for PDD Holdings Inc.).
  • Segment focus: PDD Holdings Inc. has 2 segments; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: PDD Holdings Inc. has 4 moat types across 4 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

PDD Holdings Inc.

Pinduoduo China marketplace

Market

China online retail marketplace (value-for-money focus)

Geography

China

Customer

Consumers & third-party merchants

Role

Online marketplace platform

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

PDD Holdings Inc.
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
PDD - NASDAQ
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$168.7B
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
56.7%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
22.1%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
24.4%
9.9%
Sector
Consumer
Consumer
Industry
Specialty Retail
Specialty Retail
HQ country
KY
US
Primary segment
Pinduoduo China marketplace
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
n/a
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
44 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Supply, Financial, Legal
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Two Sided NetworkFloat Prepayment

PDD Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostCompliance Advantage

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralPhysical Network DensityContractual ExclusivityPreferential Input AccessSuite BundlingData Network Effects

Segment mix

PDD Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Pinduoduo China marketplace

Oligopoly

n/a

Temu international marketplace

Competitive

n/a

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.