VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Sunday, January 11, 2026

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Stock Comparison

American Tower Corporation vs InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

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

American Tower Corporation

AMT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$78.9B
Gross margin (TTM)74.6%
Operating margin (TTM)45.9%
Net margin (TTM)28.1%
SectorReal Estate
IndustryREIT - Specialty
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
76/ 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 American Tower Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AMT 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: American Tower Corporation leads (76 / 100 vs 57 / 100 for InterContinental Hotels Group PLC).
  • Segment focus: American Tower Corporation has 3 segments; InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 5 segments (36% in Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)).
  • Moat breadth: American Tower Corporation has 6 moat types across 4 domains; InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 across 3.

Primary market context

American Tower Corporation

U.S. & Canada Communications Sites

Market

Wireless communications site leasing (macro towers, rooftops and DAS)

Geography

United States and Canada

Customer

Wireless carriers and other tenants (broadcast, data, government/municipal)

Role

Independent owner/operator of communications real estate (towerco)

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

American Tower Corporation
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Ticker / Exchange
AMT - New York Stock Exchange
IHG - London Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$78.9B
$18.8B
Gross margin (TTM)
74.6%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
45.9%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
28.1%
n/a
Sector
Real Estate
Consumer
Industry
REIT - Specialty
n/a
HQ country
US
GB
Primary segment
U.S. & Canada Communications Sites
Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
76 / 100
57 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Legal, Supply, Network
Demand, Supply, Network
Last update
2025-12-31
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Long Term Contracts

American Tower Corporation strengths

Permits Rights Of WayPhysical Network DensitySwitching Costs GeneralInteroperability HubCapacity Moat

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC strengths

Brand TrustScale Economies Unit CostTwo Sided NetworkDistribution ControlPass-through reimbursement revenueAsset-heavy hotel operations (limited moat)Immaterial ancillary activity

Segment mix

American Tower Corporation segments

Full profile >

U.S. & Canada Communications Sites

Oligopoly

n/a

International Communications Sites

Oligopoly

n/a

Data Centers

Competitive

n/a

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?

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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

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.