VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★
NO ADVICE
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Stock Comparison
American Express Company vs Waters 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
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 analysisWaters Corporation
WAT · New York Stock Exchange
Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.
Full stock profile
Dive deeper into Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.
View WAT analysisComparison highlights
- Moat score gap: Waters Corporation leads (66 / 100 vs 52 / 100 for American Express Company).
- Segment focus: American Express Company has 4 segments (47.5% in U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
- Primary market structure: Competitive vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: n/a vs Moderate.
- Moat breadth: American Express Company has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.
Primary market context
American Express Company
U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)
U.S. premium consumer card issuing (charge and credit) and attached consumer banking and financing
United States
Consumers
Issuer (proprietary cards) and consumer lender/services
47.5%
Waters Corporation
Waters instrument systems
Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)
Global
Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories
OEM + software/platform provider
34.9%
Side-by-side metrics
Moat coverage
Shared moat types
American Express Company strengths
Waters Corporation strengths
Segment mix
American Express Company segments
Full profile >U.S. Consumer Services (USCS)
Competitive
Commercial Services (CS)
Competitive
International Card Services (ICS)
Competitive
Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS)
Oligopoly
Waters Corporation segments
Full profile >Waters instrument systems
Oligopoly
Chemistry consumables
Competitive
Waters service & software maintenance
Competitive
TA instrument systems & service
Oligopoly
Want the full wide moat stocks list?
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Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.
View expansion-stage stocksCuration & 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.