VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Stock Comparison

Booking Holdings Inc. vs Paychex, 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)$173B
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

Paychex, Inc.

PAYX · NASDAQ Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$39.4B
Gross margin (TTM)73.4%
Operating margin (TTM)37.1%
Net margin (TTM)26.5%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryStaffing & Employment Services
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-04
Moat score
66/ 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 Paychex, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View PAYX analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Booking Holdings Inc. leads (77 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Paychex, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Booking Holdings Inc. has 2 segments (95.5% in OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)); Paychex, Inc. has 3 segments (73% in Management Solutions).
  • Moat breadth: Booking Holdings Inc. has 5 moat types across 4 domains; Paychex, Inc. has 7 across 4.

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%

Paychex, Inc.

Management Solutions

Market

Payroll processing and integrated HCM solutions for SMB and mid-market employers

Geography

United States (primarily)

Customer

Employers (SMB and mid-market)

Role

HCM SaaS + outsourced payroll/HR service provider

Revenue share

73%

Side-by-side metrics

Booking Holdings Inc.
Paychex, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
BKNG - NASDAQ Global Select Market
PAYX - NASDAQ Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$173B
$39.4B
Gross margin (TTM)
100%
73.4%
Operating margin (TTM)
32.7%
37.1%
Net margin (TTM)
19.4%
26.5%
Sector
Consumer
Industrials
Industry
Travel Services
Staffing & Employment Services
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)
Management Solutions
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
66 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Supply, Financial
Demand, Supply, Legal, Financial
Last update
2025-12-25
2026-01-04

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Float Prepayment

Booking Holdings Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkBrand TrustHabit DefaultScope Economies

Paychex, Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinSuite BundlingService Field NetworkCompliance AdvantageUnderwriting Risk PoolingSwitching 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%

Paychex, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Management Solutions

Oligopoly

73%

PEO and Insurance Solutions

Competitive

24.1%

Client funds float (interest on funds held for clients)

Oligopoly

2.9%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

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.