VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Wide Moat Stocks Expansion-Stage Stocks Home My Collections

Stock Comparison

Apple Inc. vs InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

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

Apple Inc.

AAPL · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$3.8T

Gross margin (TTM)46.9%

Operating margin (TTM)32%

Net margin (TTM)26.9%

SectorTechnology

IndustryConsumer Electronics

CountryUS

Data as of2025-12-20

Moat score

87/ 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 Apple Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AAPL analysis

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

IHG · London Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$18.8B

Gross margin (TTM)—

Operating margin (TTM)—

Net margin (TTM)—

SectorConsumer

Industry—

CountryGB

Data as of2026-01-10

Moat score

57/ 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 InterContinental Hotels Group PLC's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View IHG analysis

Comparison highlights

Moat score gap: Apple Inc. leads (87 / 100 vs 57 / 100 for InterContinental Hotels Group PLC).
Segment focus: Apple Inc. has 5 segments (50.4% in iPhone); InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 5 segments (36% in Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)).
Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
Moat breadth: Apple Inc. has 7 moat types across 3 domains; InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 across 3.

Primary market context

Apple Inc.

iPhone

Market

Smartphones (with focus on premium smartphones and iOS ecosystem devices)

Geography

Global

Customer

Consumers and enterprises (end-users), plus carrier/retail channels

Role

OEM / platform owner

Revenue share

50.4%

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Market

Branded hotel franchising and management services

Geography

Global

Customer

Hotel owners and developers

Role

Franchisor and hotel manager (asset-light brand platform)

Revenue share

36%

Side-by-side metrics

Apple Inc.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

Ticker / Exchange

AAPL - NASDAQ

IHG - London Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)

$3.8T

$18.8B

Gross margin (TTM)

46.9%

n/a

Operating margin (TTM)

32%

n/a

Net margin (TTM)

26.9%

n/a

Sector

Technology

Consumer

Industry

Consumer Electronics

n/a

HQ country

Primary segment

iPhone

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Market structure

Oligopoly

Market share

14%-17% (reported)

n/a

HHI estimate

n/a

Pricing power

Strong

Moderate

Moat score

87 / 100

57 / 100

Moat domains

Demand, Network, Supply

Demand, Supply, Network

Last update

2025-12-20

2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustScale Economies Unit CostTwo Sided Network

Apple Inc. strengths

Ecosystem ComplementsSwitching Costs GeneralDefault OS GatewayInstalled Base Consumables

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC strengths

Long Term ContractsDistribution ControlPass-through reimbursement revenueAsset-heavy hotel operations (limited moat)Immaterial ancillary activity

Segment mix

Apple Inc. segments

Full profile >

iPhone

Oligopoly

50.4%

Mac

Oligopoly

8.1%

iPad

Oligopoly

6.7%

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Competitive

8.6%

Services

Quasi-Monopoly

26.2%

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC segments

Full profile >

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Oligopoly

36%

System Fund (marketing, reservations and loyalty assessments)

Monopoly

32.7%

Reimbursable revenues (managed hotel staff reimbursements)

Competitive

20.3%

Owned, leased and managed lease hotels

Competitive

10.5%

Insurance activities (ancillary)

Competitive

0.5%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

View expansion-stage stocks

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.