VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★
NO ADVICE
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Stock Comparison
Alphabet Inc. vs Waters Corporation
Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.
Alphabet Inc.
GOOGL · The Nasdaq Stock 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 Alphabet Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.
View GOOGL 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: Alphabet Inc. leads (86 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
- Segment focus: Alphabet Inc. has 6 segments (56.6% in Google Search & other (Advertising)); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
- Primary market structure: Quasi-Monopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
- Moat breadth: Alphabet Inc. has 10 moat types across 4 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.
Primary market context
Alphabet Inc.
Google Search & other (Advertising)
Search advertising (intent-based digital ads)
Global
Advertisers (SMB to enterprise)
Ad platform / publisher
56.6%
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
No overlap yet.
Alphabet Inc. strengths
Waters Corporation strengths
Segment mix
Alphabet Inc. segments
Full profile >Google Search & other (Advertising)
Quasi-Monopoly
YouTube (Advertising)
Oligopoly
Google Network (Advertising)
Competitive
Google Subscriptions, Platforms & Devices
Quasi-Monopoly
Google Cloud
Oligopoly
Other Bets
Competitive
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?
Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.
View the moat stocks listLooking for expansion-stage stocks?
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.