VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Friday, January 2, 2026

Stock Comparison

Crown Castle Inc. vs Microsoft Corporation

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)$38.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorReal Estate
Industry
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

Microsoft Corporation

MSFT · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$3.5T
Gross margin (TTM)68.8%
Operating margin (TTM)46.3%
Net margin (TTM)35.7%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
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 Microsoft Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MSFT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score: both at 84 / 100.
  • Segment focus: Crown Castle Inc. has 2 segments (67% in Towers); Microsoft Corporation has 3 segments (42.9% in Productivity and Business Processes).
  • Moat breadth: Crown Castle Inc. has 3 moat types across 3 domains; Microsoft Corporation has 9 across 4.

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%

Microsoft Corporation

Productivity and Business Processes

Market

Enterprise productivity & collaboration suites, business applications, and professional network platforms

Geography

Global

Customer

Enterprises, SMBs, consumers, recruiters/advertisers

Role

SaaS platform + professional network

Revenue share

42.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Crown Castle Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
CCI - New York Stock Exchange
MSFT - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$38.7B
$3.5T
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
68.8%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
46.3%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
35.7%
Sector
Real Estate
Technology
Industry
n/a
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Towers
Productivity and Business Processes
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
16%-26% (implied)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
84 / 100
84 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Legal, Demand
Demand, Network, Supply, Legal
Last update
2026-01-02
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Long Term Contracts

Crown Castle Inc. strengths

Physical Network DensityPermits Rights Of Way

Microsoft Corporation strengths

Suite BundlingData Workflow LockinTwo Sided NetworkCapex Knowhow ScaleEcosystem ComplementsOperational ExcellenceDefault OS GatewayContent Rights Currency

Segment mix

Crown Castle Inc. segments

Full profile >

Towers

Oligopoly

67%

Fiber (small cells + fiber solutions)

Competitive

33%

Microsoft Corporation segments

Full profile >

Productivity and Business Processes

Oligopoly

42.9%

Intelligent Cloud

Oligopoly

37.7%

More Personal Computing

Quasi-Monopoly

19.4%

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.