VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Booking Holdings Inc. vs Waters 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)$177B
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

Waters Corporation

WAT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-09
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 Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WAT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Booking Holdings Inc. leads (77 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Booking Holdings Inc. has 2 segments (95.5% in OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Moat breadth: Booking Holdings Inc. has 5 moat types across 4 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

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%

Waters Corporation

Waters instrument systems

Market

Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)

Geography

Global

Customer

Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories

Role

OEM + software/platform provider

Revenue share

34.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Booking Holdings Inc.
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
BKNG - NASDAQ Global Select Market
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$177B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
100%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
32.7%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
19.4%
n/a
Sector
Consumer
Healthcare
Industry
Travel Services
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
OTC online travel reservations (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda)
Waters instrument systems
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
Last update
2025-12-25
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand Trust

Booking Holdings Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkHabit DefaultScope EconomiesFloat Prepayment

Waters Corporation strengths

Data Workflow LockinDesign In QualificationInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlLong Term ContractsService Field Network

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%

Waters Corporation segments

Full profile >

Waters instrument systems

Oligopoly

34.9%

Chemistry consumables

Competitive

19.1%

Waters service & software maintenance

Competitive

34%

TA instrument systems & service

Oligopoly

12%

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.