VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Stock Comparison

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. vs VeriSign, Inc.

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

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

ATD · Toronto Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$70.7B
Gross margin (TTM)18.5%
Operating margin (TTM)5.3%
Net margin (TTM)3.6%
SectorConsumer
IndustrySpecialty Retail
CountryCA
Data as of2026-01-05
Moat score
58/ 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 Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ATD analysis

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$22.2B
Gross margin (TTM)88%
Operating margin (TTM)67.6%
Net margin (TTM)49.9%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has 3 segments (74% in Road transportation fuel (retail fuel and related mobility services)); VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)).
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Monopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has 5 moat types across 2 domains; VeriSign, Inc. has 4 across 4.

Primary market context

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Road transportation fuel (retail fuel and related mobility services)

Market

Road transportation fuel retail (gasoline/diesel) at convenience sites; includes unmanned/automated fuel stations

Geography

North America and Europe (plus select other regions via the network)

Customer

Consumers and small fleets

Role

Fuel retailer and site operator

Revenue share

74%

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
ATD - Toronto Stock Exchange
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$70.7B
$22.2B
Gross margin (TTM)
18.5%
88%
Operating margin (TTM)
5.3%
67.6%
Net margin (TTM)
3.6%
49.9%
Sector
Consumer
Technology
Industry
Specialty Retail
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
CA
US
Primary segment
Road transportation fuel (retail fuel and related mobility services)
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Market structure
Competitive
Monopoly
Market share
n/a
100% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
10,000
Pricing power
Weak
Strong
Moat score
58 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Last update
2026-01-05
2025-12-31

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Operational Excellence

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. strengths

Physical Network DensityBrand TrustSupply Chain ControlScope Economies

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. segments

Full profile >

Merchandise and services (in-store convenience retail)

Competitive

25.2%

Road transportation fuel (retail fuel and related mobility services)

Competitive

74%

Other revenues (ancillary energy and other income streams)

Competitive

0.8%

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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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.