VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Morningstar, Inc.

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

Costco Wholesale Corporation

COST · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$410.5B
Gross margin (TTM)12.9%
Operating margin (TTM)3.8%
Net margin (TTM)3%
SectorConsumer
IndustryDiscount Stores
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
80/ 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 Costco Wholesale Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View COST 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: Costco Wholesale Corporation leads (80 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Costco Wholesale Corporation has 2 segments (98.1% in Warehouse club retail); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Costco Wholesale Corporation has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Warehouse club retail

Market

Membership warehouse club retail (warehouse clubs, ancillary services, and e-commerce)

Geography

Global

Customer

Households and small businesses

Role

Retailer (membership club)

Revenue share

98.1%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

Costco Wholesale Corporation
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
COST - Nasdaq Global Select Market
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$410.5B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
12.9%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
3.8%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
3%
n/a
Sector
Consumer
Financials
Industry
Discount Stores
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Warehouse club retail
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Weak
Moderate
Moat score
80 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Financial, Demand
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2025-12-21
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Costco Wholesale Corporation strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostOperational ExcellenceNegative Working CapitalBrand TrustHabit DefaultFloat Prepayment

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

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

Segment mix

Costco Wholesale Corporation segments

Full profile >

Warehouse club retail

Oligopoly

98.1%

Membership fees (subscription)

Oligopoly

1.9%

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.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

View expansion-stage stocks

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.