VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Global Payments Inc. vs VeriSign, Inc.

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

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$23.1B
Gross margin (TTM)88%
Operating margin (TTM)67.6%
Net margin (TTM)49.9%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 62 / 100 for Global Payments Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Global Payments Inc. has 2 segments (76.1% in Merchant Solutions); VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)).
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Monopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Global Payments Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; VeriSign, Inc. has 4 across 4.

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%

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

Global Payments Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
GPN - New York Stock Exchange
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$18.8B
$23.1B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
88%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
67.6%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
49.9%
Sector
Financials
Technology
Industry
n/a
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Merchant Solutions
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Market structure
Competitive
Monopoly
Market share
n/a
100% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
10,000
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
62 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Supply, Legal
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Last update
2026-01-10
2025-12-31

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Global Payments Inc. strengths

Ecosystem ComplementsData Workflow LockinScale Economies Unit CostLong Term ContractsSwitching Costs GeneralCompliance Advantage

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardOperational ExcellenceFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Global Payments Inc. segments

Full profile >

Merchant Solutions

Competitive

76.1%

Issuer Solutions

Oligopoly

24.6%

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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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.