VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Monday, January 5, 2026

Wide Moat Stocks Home My Collections

Stock Comparison

Deutsche Boerse AG vs Ecolab Inc.

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

Deutsche Boerse AG

DB1 · Xetra

Market cap (USD)—
Gross margin (TTM)—
Operating margin (TTM)—
Net margin (TTM)—
SectorFinancials
Industry—
CountryDE
Data as of2026-01-03
Moat score
81/ 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 Deutsche Boerse AG's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View DB1 analysis

Ecolab Inc.

ECL · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$74.3B
Gross margin (TTM)44.3%
Operating margin (TTM)17.3%
Net margin (TTM)12.5%
SectorMaterials
IndustryChemicals - Specialty
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-01
Moat score
63/ 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 Ecolab Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ECL analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Deutsche Boerse AG leads (81 / 100 vs 63 / 100 for Ecolab Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Deutsche Boerse AG has 8 segments (28.2% in Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)); Ecolab Inc. has 4 segments (49.5% in Global Industrial).
  • Primary market structure: Duopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Deutsche Boerse AG has 12 moat types across 5 domains; Ecolab Inc. has 7 across 3.

Primary market context

Deutsche Boerse AG

Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)

Market

Securities settlement and custody infrastructure (ICSD/CSD) for Eurobonds and domestic markets

Geography

Global (Eurobonds + multiple domestic markets)

Customer

Custodian banks, broker-dealers, central banks, institutional investors

Role

Settlement/custody infrastructure and asset servicing

Revenue share

28.2%

Ecolab Inc.

Global Industrial

Market

Industrial water treatment & process chemistry (incl. food & beverage processing and pulp & paper process aids)

Geography

Global

Customer

B2B

Role

formulator + on-site service/optimization provider

Revenue share

49.5%

Side-by-side metrics

Deutsche Boerse AG
Ecolab Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
DB1 - Xetra
ECL - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
n/a
$74.3B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
44.3%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
17.3%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
12.5%
Sector
Financials
Materials
Industry
n/a
Chemicals - Specialty
HQ country
DE
US
Primary segment
Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)
Global Industrial
Market structure
Duopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
81 / 100
63 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Network, Demand, Financial, Supply
Supply, Demand, Legal
Last update
2026-01-03
2026-01-01

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustData Workflow Lockin

Deutsche Boerse AG strengths

Regulated Standards PipeTwo Sided NetworkDe Facto StandardClearing SettlementInteroperability HubFloat PrepaymentSwitching Costs GeneralScale Economies Unit CostSuite BundlingFormat Lock In

Ecolab Inc. strengths

Service Field NetworkCompliance AdvantageInstalled Base ConsumablesLong Term ContractsTraining Org Change Costs

Segment mix

Deutsche Boerse AG segments

Full profile >

Financial Derivatives (Eurex trading + Eurex Clearing)

Oligopoly

22.4%

Commodities (EEX marketplaces + clearing)

Oligopoly

10.9%

Cash Equities (Xetra + Boerse Frankfurt)

Quasi-Monopoly

5.1%

FX & Digital Assets (360T + Crypto Finance)

Competitive

2.8%

Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)

Duopoly

28.2%

Fund Services (Vestima fund processing + Fund Centre distribution)

Oligopoly

8.5%

Software Solutions (SimCorp + Axioma Analytics)

Competitive

11.9%

ESG & Index (ISS STOXX: indices + ESG/governance data)

Oligopoly

10.1%

Ecolab Inc. segments

Full profile >

Global Industrial

Oligopoly

49.5%

Global Institutional & Specialty

Oligopoly

34.1%

Global Healthcare & Life Sciences

Oligopoly

9%

Global Pest Elimination

Oligopoly

7.4%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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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.