VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Stock Comparison

American Express Company vs Blackstone Inc.

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

American Express Company

AXP · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$262.1B
Gross margin (TTM)83%
Operating margin (TTM)17.1%
Net margin (TTM)13.4%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-30
Moat score
52/ 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 Express Company's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AXP analysis

Blackstone Inc.

BX · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-12
Moat score
61/ 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 Blackstone Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View BX analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Blackstone Inc. leads (61 / 100 vs 52 / 100 for American Express Company).
  • Segment focus: American Express Company has 4 segments (47.5% in U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)); Blackstone Inc. has 4 segments.
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Oligopoly.
  • Moat breadth: American Express Company has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Blackstone Inc. has 8 across 2.

Primary market context

American Express Company

U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)

Market

U.S. premium consumer card issuing (charge and credit) and attached consumer banking and financing

Geography

United States

Customer

Consumers

Role

Issuer (proprietary cards) and consumer lender/services

Revenue share

47.5%

Blackstone Inc.

Real Estate

Market

Private real estate investment management (opportunistic, core/core+, real estate debt, and perpetual/private-wealth real estate vehicles)

Geography

Global

Customer

Institutional investors and individual investors (via private wealth channels)

Role

Alternative asset manager / GP / investment adviser

Side-by-side metrics

American Express Company
Blackstone Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
AXP - New York Stock Exchange
BX - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$262.1B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
83%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
17.1%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
13.4%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Credit Services
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)
Real Estate
Market structure
Competitive
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
n/a
n/a
Moat score
52 / 100
61 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Financial, Network
Supply, Demand
Last update
2025-12-30
2026-01-12

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustLong Term Contracts

American Express Company strengths

Switching Costs GeneralCost Of Capital AdvantageTraining Org Change CostsEcosystem ComplementsTwo Sided NetworkData Network Effects

Blackstone Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostDistribution ControlScope EconomiesOperational ExcellencePreferential Input AccessSuite Bundling

Segment mix

American Express Company segments

Full profile >

U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)

Competitive

47.5%

Commercial Services (CS)

Competitive

23.9%

International Card Services (ICS)

Competitive

17.3%

Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS)

Oligopoly

11.3%

Blackstone Inc. segments

Full profile >

Real Estate

Oligopoly

n/a

Private Equity

Oligopoly

n/a

Credit & Insurance

Oligopoly

n/a

Multi-Asset Investing

Oligopoly

n/a

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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

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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.