WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON

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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)$205.7B
Gross margin (TTM)—
Operating margin (TTM)—
Net margin (TTM)15.1%
SectorFinancials
IndustryBanks and capital markets
CountryUS
Data as of2026-08-23
80/100
Moat score

Weighted across the company's segments.

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)$678B
Gross margin (TTM)—
Operating margin (TTM)60.7%
Net margin (TTM)50.8%
SectorFinancials
IndustryPayments and financial technology
CountryUS
Data as of2026-08-23
100/100
Moat score

Weighted across the company's segments.

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 (100 / 100 vs 80 / 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 6 moat types across 2 domains; Visa Inc. has 3 across 1.

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 payment networks, transaction processing and payment-adjacent services

Geography

Global, with U.S. and international revenue disclosed separately

Customer

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

Role

Four-party payment-network operator; authorization, clearing, settlement and multi-rail money-movement 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)
$205.7B
$678B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
60.7%
Net margin (TTM)
15.1%
50.8%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Banks and capital markets
Payments and financial technology
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
U.S. Consumer Services
Payment Services
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
38.5% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
80 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network
Network
Last update
2026-09-05
2026-09-05

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Two Sided Network

American Express Company strengths

Brand TrustHabit DefaultData Network EffectsData Workflow LockinProcurement Inertia

Visa Inc. strengths

Clearing SettlementInteroperability Hub

Segment mix

American Express Company segments

Full profile >

U.S. Consumer Services

Oligopoly

48%

Commercial Services

Oligopoly

23.3%

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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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.