VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

American Express Company vs Microsoft Corporation

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)$215.3B
Gross margin (TTM)83.5%
Operating margin (TTM)20.7%
Net margin (TTM)13.6%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
CountryUS
Data as of2026-04-25
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 Express Company's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AXP analysis

Microsoft Corporation

MSFT · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$3.1T
Gross margin (TTM)68.6%
Operating margin (TTM)46.7%
Net margin (TTM)39%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
84/ 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 Microsoft Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MSFT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Microsoft Corporation leads (84 / 100 vs 76 / 100 for American Express Company).
  • Segment focus: American Express Company has 4 segments (48% in U.S. Consumer Services); Microsoft Corporation has 3 segments (42.9% in Productivity and Business Processes).
  • Moat breadth: American Express Company has 7 moat types across 3 domains; Microsoft Corporation has 9 across 4.

Primary market context

American Express Company

U.S. Consumer Services

Market

U.S. premium consumer credit, charge, banking, lending, travel, dining and lifestyle card services

Geography

United States

Customer

Affluent and mass-affluent U.S. consumers

Role

Issuer, lender, rewards platform, banking provider, travel/dining service provider and closed-loop network participant

Revenue share

48%

Microsoft Corporation

Productivity and Business Processes

Market

Enterprise productivity & collaboration suites, business applications, and professional network platforms

Geography

Global

Customer

Enterprises, SMBs, consumers, recruiters/advertisers

Role

SaaS platform + professional network

Revenue share

42.9%

Side-by-side metrics

American Express Company
Microsoft Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
AXP - New York Stock Exchange
MSFT - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$215.3B
$3.1T
Gross margin (TTM)
83.5%
68.6%
Operating margin (TTM)
20.7%
46.7%
Net margin (TTM)
13.6%
39%
Sector
Financials
Technology
Industry
Financial - Credit Services
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
U.S. Consumer Services
Productivity and Business Processes
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
10.5%-11% (implied)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
76 / 100
84 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Supply
Demand, Network, Supply, Legal
Last update
2026-04-25
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow LockinTwo Sided Network

American Express Company strengths

Brand TrustHabit DefaultData Network EffectsProcurement InertiaScope Economies

Microsoft Corporation strengths

Suite BundlingLong Term ContractsCapex Knowhow ScaleEcosystem ComplementsOperational ExcellenceDefault OS GatewayContent Rights Currency

Segment mix

American Express Company segments

Full profile >

U.S. Consumer Services

Oligopoly

48%

Commercial Services

Oligopoly

23.4%

International Card Services

Competitive

17.9%

Global Merchant and Network Services

Oligopoly

10.7%

Microsoft Corporation segments

Full profile >

Productivity and Business Processes

Oligopoly

42.9%

Intelligent Cloud

Oligopoly

37.7%

More Personal Computing

Quasi-Monopoly

19.4%

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.