Ultimate Software Group Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Ultimate Software Group Inc (ULTI) 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: Ultimate Software Group Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,199M vs -M combined for tracked competitors (100.0% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+11.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Peer revenue share: Ultimate Software Group Inc accounted for 100.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 100.0% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.28M compares with $0.24M for the peer group (1.2x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
ULTI Sales vs. its Competitors, Q1 2019
Ultimate Software Group Inc generated 100.00 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 100.00 % a year earlier.
For context: the Software & Programming industry grew revenue 16.0% year over year, combined, vs 21.1% for Ultimate Software Group Inc. Ultimate Software Group Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.10% to 0.10%, a gain of 0.00 percentage points.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Competitors combined (1) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (3) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) |
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.
ULTI Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
ULTI Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
ULTI 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 | Paycor Hcm Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Ultimate Software Group Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Publicly Traded Peers of Ultimate Software Group Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | 454.46 | 1,198.79 |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | 4,039.04 | 699.73 |
| SUBTOTAL | 4,493.50 | 1,898.53 |
Sources: Ultimate Software Group 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 Ultimate Software Group Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Paycor Hcm Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Workday Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Paylocity Holding Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Ultimate Software Group 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.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | 454 | 284,885 | 13,622 |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | 4,039 | 241,287 | -7,389 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 4,039 | 241,287 | -7,389 |
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 236 companies in Ultimate Software Group Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Ultimate Software Group Inc ranks #0 of 236 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.00 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,661, indicating a highly 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 | Microsoft Corporation | 3,756,759 | 50.30 % |
| 2 | Palantir Technologies Inc | 486,305 | 6.51 % |
| 3 | Oracle Corporation | 388,902 | 5.21 % |
| 4 | Sap Se | 268,701 | 3.60 % |
| 5 | Crowdstrike Holdings Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Salesforce Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Shopify Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Full Truck Alliance Co Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Servicenow Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Cloudflare Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 0 | Ultimate Software Group Inc | 466 | 0.00 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Ultimate Software Group Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-06-04.
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Software & Programming industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (343 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 61.93 % | 64.28 % (avg) | -2.4 pp |
| Operating Margin | 5.69 % | industry median | +6.3 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 10.62 % | 2.53 % (avg) | +8.1 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 6.86 % | 4.79 % (avg) | +2.1 pp |
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.
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Software & Programming industry average (343 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 | 182.5x | 39.5x | +143.1x |
| EV / EBITDA | 82.3x | 21.7x | +60.6x |
| P/B | 13.8x | 5.4x | +8.5x |
| Return on Equity | 7.48 % | industry aggregate | -16.06 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 4.31 % | -0.26 % (avg) | 4.57 % |
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.
Ultimate Software Group 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 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 23.51 % | 23.28 % | 22.17 % | 26.41 % | 20.41 % | 21.24 % |
| Operating Margin | 10.53 % | 10.74 % | 7.01 % | 5.34 % | 4.74 % | 7.07 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 13.43 % | 11.50 % | 6.86 % | 5.27 % | 4.42 % | 5.67 % |
| P/E | - | - | 241.9x | 200.4x | 454.8x | 122.4x |
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.
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Ultimate Software Group Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Ultimate Software Group 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.
Ultimate Software Group 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 | Low | Industry HHI of 2,661 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 6.86 % vs industry average 4.79 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Ultimate Software Group Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Ultimate Software Group 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.
Ultimate Software Group 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.
Ultimate Software Group Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / High strength cell: Invest / Grow.
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.
Ultimate Software Group 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
- Operating margin 6.3 points above the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+11.8% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 16.1 points below the industry aggregate.
- Underperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
- Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below, the standard financial-distress signal.
Opportunities
- Industry revenue growing at a healthy 11.6% median pace.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Microsoft Corporation, holding 50.30 % of industry market cap.
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
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.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | 0.12 | 1.06 | 0.01 |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | 0.08 | 1.12 | - |
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.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | Q1 2019 | +21.0 % | -37.2 % |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | Q4 2024 | +13.1 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +18.1 % | - |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Ultimate Software Group 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | Q1 2019 | +23.5 % | +9.4 % |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | Q4 2024 | +12.8 % | -10.4 % |
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | 2.86% | 7.03% | 7.48% |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | - | - | - |
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).
Ultimate Software Group Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Software Group Inc | 7.81 | 0.38 |
| Paycor Hcm Inc | - | 5.77 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 125.19 | 2.37 |
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.