Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc (SBH) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 3,728M vs 21,204M combined for tracked competitors (15.0% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (+0.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs decelerating (-6.0%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc generated 0.3% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs 4.8% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 5.8% net margin compares with -5.1% for the peer group.
- Scale: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc ranks #11 of 58 companies by market capitalization in the Specialty Retail industry, holding 1.5% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc accounted for 15.8% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 16.4% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.14M compares with $0.25M for the peer group (0.5x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
SBH Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc reported revenue growth of 0.27 % year on year in Q3 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 4.82 %.
With a net margin of 5.78 %, Sally Beauty Holdings Inc achieved higher profitability than its competitors (-5.09 %).
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc generated 15.81 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 16.40 % a year earlier.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Sally Beauty Holdings Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (3) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Specialty Retail industry grew revenue 19.7% year over year, combined, vs 0.3% for Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.45% to 0.38%, a loss of 0.07 percentage points.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (6) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 33.30 % (2 of 6) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
SBH Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
SBH Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
SBH Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
SBH Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Wax Center Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Regis Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Ulta Beauty Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Playboy Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Publicly Traded Peers of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 1,656.67 | 3,727.63 |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 34,863.94 | 15,049.00 |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | 24,141.95 | 12,708.31 |
| Coty Inc | 2,351.43 | 5,805.50 |
| European Wax Center Inc | 257.21 | 216.62 |
| Playboy Inc | 118.14 | 125.36 |
| SUBTOTAL | 63,470.09 | 37,856.90 |
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Sources: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Sally Beauty Holdings Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty Systems Group BSG | Named by the company | 85% |
| Wella Company | Named by the company | 85% |
| Henkel AG & Co. KGaA | Named by the company | 85% |
| L'Oreal USA S/D, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | Sally Beauty Supply 57.74 % |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | Reportable Segment Aggregation Before Other Operating Segment 100.00 % |
| Coty Inc | Prestige 64.87 % |
| Playboy Inc | Direct to Consumer 62.42 % |
| Regis Corp | Franchise 63.55 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 1,657 | 138,060 | 7,121 |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 34,864 | 273,618 | 3,309 |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | 24,142 | 189,620 | 17,739 |
| Coty Inc | 2,351 | 512,175 | -52,069 |
| European Wax Center Inc | 257 | 1,790,256 | 83,843 |
| Playboy Inc | 118 | 213,196 | 481 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 61,813 | 251,552 | 5,882 |
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Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Playboy Inc | United States 30.98 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 54 companies in Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Sally Beauty Holdings Inc ranks #11 of 54 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 1.45 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 1,761, indicating a moderately concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jd com Inc | 38,908 | 33.43 % |
| 2 | Ulta Beauty Inc | 23,957 | 20.58 % |
| 3 | Dick s Sporting Goods inc | 12,065 | 10.37 % |
| 4 | Firstcash Holdings Inc | 9,510 | 8.17 % |
| 5 | Yunji Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Bath and Body Works Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Academy Sports And Outdoors Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Ezcorp Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Rh | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Bobs Discount Furniture Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 11 | Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 1,688 | 1.45 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bath and Body Works Inc | 3,267 | -37.40 % |
| 7 | Academy Sports And Outdoors Inc | 3,215 | 2.09 % |
| 8 | Ezcorp Inc | 2,592 | 75.51 % |
| 9 | Rh | 2,288 | -42.54 % |
| 10 | Bobs Discount Furniture Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 11 | Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 1,688 | 11.18 % |
| 12 | Savers Value Village Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 13 | Arhaus Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 14 | Gold com Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 15 | Suburban Propane Partners Lp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 16 | Winmark Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Specialty Retail industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (82 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 52.13 % | 41.36 % (avg) | +10.8 pp |
| Operating Margin | 8.43 % | industry median | +4.1 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 13.27 % | 1.40 % (avg) | +11.9 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 3.05 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Specialty Retail industry average (82 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 7.2x | 26.3x | -19.1x |
| EV / EBITDA | 4.1x | 9.1x | -5.0x |
| P/B | 1.6x | 3.0x | -1.4x |
| Return on Equity | 23.32 % | industry aggregate | -582.13 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.43 % | 4.68 % (avg) | 3.75 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | -0.17 % | -1.53 % | -10.27 % | 12.94 % | -3.24 % | -2.40 % | 0.59 % | -0.48 % |
| Operating Margin | 10.85 % | 11.46 % | 7.74 % | 10.89 % | 8.21 % | 8.31 % | 8.43 % | 8.19 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 32.52 % | 26.25 % | 10.58 % | 15.47 % | 11.44 % | 10.07 % | 9.77 % | 8.37 % |
| P/E | 9.5x | 8.1x | 11.9x | 8.6x | 8.6x | 7.1x | 7.3x | 8.6x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Sally Beauty Holdings Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.04x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue -1.3% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Moderate | Industry HHI of 1,761 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
No rule matched.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 582.1 points below the industry aggregate.
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.04x).
Opportunities
- Trades at a lower P/E than the industry average (7.2x vs 26.3x) despite a higher return on invested capital -- a possible re-rating opportunity.
Threats
- Tracked peer group's revenue run-rate is broadly decelerating (-6.0% annualized).
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 0.28 | 2.30 | 1.02 |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 0.04 | 1.27 | 1.88 |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | 0.11 | 1.36 | 0.10 |
| Coty Inc | 0.10 | 0.80 | 1.24 |
| European Wax Center Inc | 2.00 | 3.13 | 3.59 |
| Playboy Inc | 0.50 | 0.93 | 8.38 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | Q2 2026 | +0.3 % | +18.3 % |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | Q2 2026 | +6.3 % | - |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | Q1 2026 | +11.1 % | +11.6 % |
| Coty Inc | Q2 2026 | +1.2 % | - |
| European Wax Center Inc | Q1 2026 | -0.6 % | -37.2 % |
| Playboy Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.9 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +6.4 % | - |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | Q2 2026 | -1.5 % | -4.9 % |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | Q2 2026 | -6.8 % | -27.1 % |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | Q1 2026 | +9.3 % | -26.3 % |
| Coty Inc | Q2 2026 | +4.5 % | -10.1 % |
| European Wax Center Inc | Q1 2026 | +2.9 % | +158.9 % |
| Playboy Inc | Q2 2026 | -13.8 % | -60.3 % |
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Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 6.70% | 6.53% | 23.32% |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 0.93% | 1.36% | 4.68% |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | 17.27% | 25.62% | 44.77% |
| Coty Inc | - | - | - |
| European Wax Center Inc | 1.41% | 1.11% | 9.61% |
| Playboy Inc | 0.10% | 0.12% | 1.43% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Sally Beauty Holdings Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sally Beauty Holdings Inc | 8.86 | 0.44 |
| Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 195.04 | 2.32 |
| Ulta Beauty Inc | 20.65 | 1.90 |
| Coty Inc | - | 0.41 |
| European Wax Center Inc | - | 1.19 |
| Playboy Inc | - | 0.94 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 64.09 | 1.68 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.