VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Friday, January 2, 2026

Stock Comparison

Booking Holdings Inc. vs Norfolk Southern Corporation

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)$170.2B
Gross margin (TTM)100%
Operating margin (TTM)32.7%
Net margin (TTM)19.4%
SectorConsumer
IndustryTravel Services
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

Norfolk Southern Corporation

NSC · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$65B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorIndustrials
IndustryRailroads
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-02
Moat score
70/ 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 Norfolk Southern Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View NSC analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Booking Holdings Inc. leads (77 / 100 vs 70 / 100 for Norfolk Southern Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Booking Holdings Inc. has 2 segments (95.5% in OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)); Norfolk Southern Corporation has 3 segments (62% in Merchandise).
  • Moat breadth: Booking Holdings Inc. has 5 moat types across 4 domains; Norfolk Southern Corporation has 4 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%

Norfolk Southern Corporation

Merchandise

Market

Eastern U.S. freight rail transportation for industrial & consumer goods

Geography

United States (Southeast/East/Midwest; NS network + interchanges)

Customer

Manufacturers, producers, and distributors

Role

Rail carrier

Revenue share

62%

Side-by-side metrics

Booking Holdings Inc.
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
BKNG - NASDAQ Global Select Market
NSC - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$170.2B
$65B
Gross margin (TTM)
100%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
32.7%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
19.4%
n/a
Sector
Consumer
Industrials
Industry
Travel Services
Railroads
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)
Merchandise
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
70 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Supply, Financial
Supply, Legal, Demand
Last update
2025-12-25
2026-01-02

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Booking Holdings Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkBrand TrustHabit DefaultScope EconomiesFloat Prepayment

Norfolk Southern Corporation strengths

Physical Network DensityPermits Rights Of WayScale Economies Unit CostSwitching Costs General

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%

Norfolk Southern Corporation segments

Full profile >

Merchandise

Oligopoly

62%

Intermodal

Oligopoly

25%

Coal

Oligopoly

13%

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.