ULTA vs FFIV Comparison

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with more than 1,500 freestanding stores. The firm offers cosmetics (38% of 2025 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (24%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for 4% of its revenue and drive customer traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta operates premium beauty retailer Space NK (86 stores at year-end 2025 in the UK and Ireland) and has franchised stores in Mexico, and a joint venture in the Middle East. In addition, Ulta collects royalties through its Target partnership (ending in summer 2026) and credit card revenue. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

F5 is a market leader in the application delivery controller market. The company sells products for security, application performance, and automation. Its three customer verticals are enterprises, service providers, and government entities. Revenue is evenly split between its services business and products business with revenue trending toward products due to software adoption. The Seattle-based firm was incorporated in 1996, and went public in 1999.