VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Sunday, January 11, 2026

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Stock Comparison

Global Payments Inc. vs Linde plc

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

Global Payments Inc.

GPN · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$18.8B

Gross margin (TTM)—

Operating margin (TTM)—

Net margin (TTM)—

SectorFinancials

Industry—

CountryUS

Data as of2026-01-10

Moat score

62/ 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 Global Payments Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View GPN analysis

Linde plc

LIN · Nasdaq Stock Market

Market cap (USD)$207.4B

Gross margin (TTM)40.5%

Operating margin (TTM)27.2%

Net margin (TTM)21.2%

SectorMaterials

IndustryChemicals - Specialty

CountryIE

Data as of2025-12-29

Moat score

72/ 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 Linde plc's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View LIN analysis

Comparison highlights

Moat score gap: Linde plc leads (72 / 100 vs 62 / 100 for Global Payments Inc.).
Segment focus: Global Payments Inc. has 2 segments (76.1% in Merchant Solutions); Linde plc has 4 segments (43.8% in Americas).
Primary market structure: Competitive vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
Moat breadth: Global Payments Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; Linde plc has 5 across 3.

Primary market context

Global Payments Inc.

Merchant Solutions

Market

Merchant acquiring and integrated payments (card-present and e-commerce)

Geography

Global

Customer

Merchants (SMB to enterprise) and software platforms

Role

Acquirer and payment processor

Revenue share

76.1%

Linde plc

Americas

Market

Industrial gases (Americas)

Geography

Americas

Customer

B2B + healthcare

Role

Producer, distributor, on-site plant owner/operator

Revenue share

43.8%

Side-by-side metrics

Global Payments Inc.

Linde plc

Ticker / Exchange

GPN - New York Stock Exchange

LIN - Nasdaq Stock Market

Market cap (USD)

$18.8B

$207.4B

Gross margin (TTM)

n/a

40.5%

Operating margin (TTM)

n/a

27.2%

Net margin (TTM)

n/a

21.2%

Sector

Financials

Materials

Industry

n/a

Chemicals - Specialty

HQ country

Primary segment

Merchant Solutions

Americas

Market structure

Competitive

Oligopoly

Market share

n/a

HHI estimate

n/a

Pricing power

Moderate

Moat score

62 / 100

72 / 100

Moat domains

Network, Demand, Supply, Legal

Demand, Supply, Legal

Last update

2026-01-10

2025-12-29

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Scale Economies Unit CostLong Term Contracts

Global Payments Inc. strengths

Ecosystem ComplementsData Workflow LockinSwitching Costs GeneralCompliance Advantage

Linde plc strengths

Physical Network DensityCapex Knowhow ScaleIP Choke Point

Segment mix

Global Payments Inc. segments

Full profile >

Merchant Solutions

Competitive

76.1%

Issuer Solutions

Oligopoly

24.6%

Linde plc segments

Full profile >

Americas

Oligopoly

43.8%

EMEA

Oligopoly

25.3%

APAC

Oligopoly

20.1%

Engineering

Competitive

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.

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.