VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

Stock Comparison

American Express Company vs Visa 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)$213.3B
Gross margin (TTM)83.5%
Operating margin (TTM)20.7%
Net margin (TTM)13.6%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
CountryUS
Data as of2026-05-27
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

Visa Inc.

V · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$629.2B
Gross margin (TTM)81.3%
Operating margin (TTM)61.1%
Net margin (TTM)51.7%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
CountryUS
Data as of2026-05-26
Moat score
99/ 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 Visa Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View V analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Visa Inc. leads (99 / 100 vs 76 / 100 for American Express Company).
  • Segment focus: American Express Company has 4 segments (48% in U.S. Consumer Services); Visa Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Payment Services).
  • Moat breadth: American Express Company has 7 moat types across 3 domains; Visa Inc. has 6 across 3.

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%

Visa Inc.

Payment Services

Market

Global general-purpose card payment networks and digital payment processing

Geography

Global, with fiscal 1H26 net revenue approximately 38% U.S. and 62% international

Customer

Issuers, acquirers, merchants, fintechs, businesses, governments and consumers

Role

Four-party payment network, authorization, clearing, settlement, tokenization, risk, data and value-added services provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

American Express Company
Visa Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
AXP - New York Stock Exchange
V - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$213.3B
$629.2B
Gross margin (TTM)
83.5%
81.3%
Operating margin (TTM)
20.7%
61.1%
Net margin (TTM)
13.6%
51.7%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Credit Services
Financial - Credit Services
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
U.S. Consumer Services
Payment Services
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
10.5%-11% (implied)
38.5% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
76 / 100
99 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Supply
Network, Supply, Demand
Last update
2026-05-27
2026-05-26

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustData Network EffectsTwo Sided Network

American Express Company strengths

Habit DefaultData Workflow LockinProcurement InertiaScope Economies

Visa Inc. strengths

Clearing SettlementScale Economies Unit CostInteroperability Hub

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%

Visa Inc. segments

Full profile >

Payment Services

Oligopoly

100%

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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.