VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Deutsche Boerse AG vs Waters Corporation

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

Deutsche Boerse AG

DB1 · Xetra

Market cap (USD)$39B
Gross margin (TTM)54.3%
Operating margin (TTM)40.7%
Net margin (TTM)27.5%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
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

Waters Corporation

WAT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-09
Moat score
66/ 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 Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WAT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Deutsche Boerse AG leads (81 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Deutsche Boerse AG has 8 segments (28.2% in Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Primary market structure: Duopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Deutsche Boerse AG has 12 moat types across 5 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

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%

Waters Corporation

Waters instrument systems

Market

Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)

Geography

Global

Customer

Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories

Role

OEM + software/platform provider

Revenue share

34.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Deutsche Boerse AG
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
DB1 - Xetra
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$39B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
54.3%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
40.7%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
27.5%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Healthcare
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
n/a
HQ country
DE
US
Primary segment
Securities Services (Clearstream: ICSD/CSD settlement + custody)
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Duopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
81 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Network, Demand, Financial, Supply
Demand, Supply
Last update
2026-01-03
2026-01-09

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

Waters Corporation strengths

Design In QualificationInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlLong Term ContractsService Field Network

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%

Waters Corporation segments

Full profile >

Waters instrument systems

Oligopoly

34.9%

Chemistry consumables

Competitive

19.1%

Waters service & software maintenance

Competitive

34%

TA instrument systems & service

Oligopoly

12%

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.