VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Crown Castle Inc. vs Morningstar, Inc.

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

Crown Castle Inc.

CCI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$36.4B
Gross margin (TTM)73.4%
Operating margin (TTM)-61%
Net margin (TTM)-95.4%
SectorReal Estate
IndustryREIT - Specialty
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-02
Moat score
84/ 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 Crown Castle Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View CCI analysis

Morningstar, Inc.

MORN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-10
Moat score
67/ 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 Morningstar, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MORN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Crown Castle Inc. leads (84 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Crown Castle Inc. has 2 segments (67% in Towers); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Crown Castle Inc. has 3 moat types across 3 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

Crown Castle Inc.

Towers

Market

U.S. macrocell tower leasing (wireless site rental)

Geography

United States

Customer

Mobile network operators

Role

Infrastructure owner/lessor

Revenue share

67%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

Crown Castle Inc.
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
CCI - New York Stock Exchange
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$36.4B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
73.4%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
-61%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
-95.4%
n/a
Sector
Real Estate
Financials
Industry
REIT - Specialty
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Towers
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
16%-26% (implied)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
84 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Legal, Demand
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2026-01-02
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Crown Castle Inc. strengths

Physical Network DensityPermits Rights Of WayLong Term Contracts

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinDe Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

Crown Castle Inc. segments

Full profile >

Towers

Oligopoly

67%

Fiber (small cells + fiber solutions)

Competitive

33%

Morningstar, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Oligopoly

34.6%

PitchBook

Oligopoly

27.2%

Morningstar Credit

Oligopoly

12.8%

Morningstar Wealth

Competitive

10.9%

Morningstar Retirement

Competitive

5.6%

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Oligopoly

5.2%

Morningstar Indexes

Oligopoly

3.7%

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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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.