VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

General Dynamics Corporation vs Waters Corporation

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

General Dynamics Corporation

GD · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$95.4B
Gross margin (TTM)15.3%
Operating margin (TTM)10.3%
Net margin (TTM)8.2%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryAerospace & Defense
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-29
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 General Dynamics Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View GD 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: General Dynamics Corporation leads (80 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: General Dynamics Corporation has 4 segments (30.1% in Marine Systems (Nuclear subs + surface shipbuilding)); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Primary market structure: Duopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: General Dynamics Corporation has 11 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

General Dynamics Corporation

Marine Systems (Nuclear subs + surface shipbuilding)

Market

U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine construction and major surface combatant shipbuilding/lifecycle services

Geography

United States

Customer

Government (primarily U.S. Navy)

Role

Prime contractor / shipbuilder / lifecycle services

Revenue share

30.1%

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

General Dynamics Corporation
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
GD - New York Stock Exchange
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$95.4B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
15.3%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
10.3%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
8.2%
n/a
Sector
Industrials
Healthcare
Industry
Aerospace & Defense
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Marine Systems (Nuclear subs + surface shipbuilding)
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Duopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
45%-55% (estimated)
n/a
HHI estimate
5,000
n/a
Pricing power
Weak
Moderate
Moat score
80 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Legal
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustService Field NetworkLong Term ContractsDesign In Qualification

General Dynamics Corporation strengths

Regulated Standards PipeCapex Knowhow ScaleGovernment Contracting RelationshipsProcurement InertiaCapacity MoatCompliance AdvantageSuite Bundling

Waters Corporation strengths

Data Workflow LockinInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain Control

Segment mix

General Dynamics Corporation segments

Full profile >

Aerospace (Gulfstream + Jet Aviation)

Oligopoly

23.6%

Marine Systems (Nuclear subs + surface shipbuilding)

Duopoly

30.1%

Combat Systems (Land vehicles + munitions)

Oligopoly

18.9%

Technologies (C5ISR + Federal IT)

Competitive

27.5%

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.

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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

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

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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.