VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Friday, January 2, 2026

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Stock Comparison

Booking Holdings Inc. vs Ecolab Inc.

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

Booking Holdings Inc.

BKNG · NASDAQ Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$175.6B
Gross margin (TTM)100%
Operating margin (TTM)32.7%
Net margin (TTM)19.4%
SectorConsumer
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-25
Moat score
77/ 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 Booking Holdings Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View BKNG analysis

Ecolab Inc.

ECL · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)—
Gross margin (TTM)44.3%
Operating margin (TTM)17.3%
Net margin (TTM)12.5%
SectorMaterials
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-01
Moat score
63/ 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 Ecolab Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ECL analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Booking Holdings Inc. leads (77 / 100 vs 63 / 100 for Ecolab Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Booking Holdings Inc. has 2 segments (95.5% in OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)); Ecolab Inc. has 4 segments (49.5% in Global Industrial).
  • Moat breadth: Booking Holdings Inc. has 5 moat types across 4 domains; Ecolab Inc. has 7 across 3.

Primary market context

Booking Holdings Inc.

OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)

Market

Online travel agency (OTA) reservation platforms

Geography

Global

Customer

Two-sided: travelers (B2C) and travel service providers (B2B)

Role

Intermediary / marketplace

Revenue share

95.5%

Ecolab Inc.

Global Industrial

Market

Industrial water treatment & process chemistry (incl. food & beverage processing and pulp & paper process aids)

Geography

Global

Customer

B2B

Role

formulator + on-site service/optimization provider

Revenue share

49.5%

Side-by-side metrics

Booking Holdings Inc.
Ecolab Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
BKNG - NASDAQ Global Select Market
ECL - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$175.6B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
100%
44.3%
Operating margin (TTM)
32.7%
17.3%
Net margin (TTM)
19.4%
12.5%
Sector
Consumer
Materials
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)
Global Industrial
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
23%-31% (implied)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
77 / 100
63 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Supply, Financial
Supply, Demand, Legal
Last update
2025-12-25
2026-01-01

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand Trust

Booking Holdings Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkHabit DefaultScope EconomiesFloat Prepayment

Ecolab Inc. strengths

Service Field NetworkData Workflow LockinCompliance AdvantageInstalled Base ConsumablesLong Term ContractsTraining Org Change Costs

Segment mix

Booking Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)

Oligopoly

95.5%

Metasearch & restaurant reservations (KAYAK, OpenTable)

Competitive

4.5%

Ecolab Inc. segments

Full profile >

Global Industrial

Oligopoly

49.5%

Global Institutional & Specialty

Oligopoly

34.1%

Global Healthcare & Life Sciences

Oligopoly

9%

Global Pest Elimination

Oligopoly

7.4%

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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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.