VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★
NO ADVICE
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Stock Comparison
Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Waters Corporation
Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.
Costco Wholesale Corporation
COST · Nasdaq Global Select Market
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 analysisWaters Corporation
WAT · New York Stock Exchange
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 analysisComparison highlights
- Moat score gap: Costco Wholesale Corporation leads (80 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
- Segment focus: Costco Wholesale Corporation has 2 segments (98.1% in Warehouse club retail); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
- Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
- Moat breadth: Costco Wholesale Corporation has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.
Primary market context
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Warehouse club retail
Membership warehouse club retail (warehouse clubs, ancillary services, and e-commerce)
Global
Households and small businesses
Retailer (membership club)
98.1%
Waters Corporation
Waters instrument systems
Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)
Global
Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories
OEM + software/platform provider
34.9%
Side-by-side metrics
Moat coverage
Shared moat types
Costco Wholesale Corporation strengths
Waters Corporation strengths
Segment mix
Costco Wholesale Corporation segments
Full profile >Warehouse club retail
Oligopoly
Membership fees (subscription)
Oligopoly
Waters Corporation segments
Full profile >Waters instrument systems
Oligopoly
Chemistry consumables
Competitive
Waters service & software maintenance
Competitive
TA instrument systems & service
Oligopoly
Want the full wide moat stocks list?
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Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.
View expansion-stage stocksCuration & 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.