VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Friday, January 2, 2026

Stock Comparison

Crown Castle Inc. vs VeriSign, 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)$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

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$22.3B
Gross margin (TTM)88%
Operating margin (TTM)67.6%
Net margin (TTM)49.9%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 84 / 100 for Crown Castle Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Crown Castle Inc. has 2 segments (67% in Towers); VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Monopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Crown Castle Inc. has 3 moat types across 3 domains; VeriSign, Inc. has 4 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%

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

Crown Castle Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
CCI - New York Stock Exchange
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$38.7B
$22.3B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
88%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
67.6%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
49.9%
Sector
Real Estate
Technology
Industry
n/a
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Towers
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Monopoly
Market share
16%-26% (implied)
100% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
10,000
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
84 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Legal, Demand
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Last update
2026-01-02
2025-12-31

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Crown Castle Inc. strengths

Physical Network DensityPermits Rights Of WayLong Term Contracts

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardOperational ExcellenceFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Crown Castle Inc. segments

Full profile >

Towers

Oligopoly

67%

Fiber (small cells + fiber solutions)

Competitive

33%

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

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.