VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

HII · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$15.2B
Gross margin (TTM)12.5%
Operating margin (TTM)4.8%
Net margin (TTM)4.7%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryAerospace & Defense
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-23
Moat score
83/ 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 Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View HII analysis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

VRTX · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$119B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
IndustryBiotechnology
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-08
Moat score
99/ 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 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRTX analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated leads (99 / 100 vs 83 / 100 for Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has 3 segments (51.7% in Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)); Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has 3 segments (99.9% in Cystic Fibrosis CFTR Modulators).
  • Primary market structure: Quasi-Monopoly vs Quasi-Monopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has 7 across 4.

Primary market context

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Market

U.S. Navy nuclear shipbuilding and carrier lifecycle services (CVN construction/RCOH/inactivation + SSN/SSBN construction)

Geography

United States

Customer

U.S. Government (U.S. Navy)

Role

Prime contractor shipyard / integrator

Revenue share

51.7%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

Cystic Fibrosis CFTR Modulators

Market

CFTR modulator therapies for cystic fibrosis

Geography

U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada

Customer

Patients (via specialty pharmacies/payers); CF care centers

Role

Drug developer/manufacturer

Revenue share

99.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Ticker / Exchange
HII - New York Stock Exchange
VRTX - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$15.2B
$119B
Gross margin (TTM)
12.5%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
4.8%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
4.7%
n/a
Sector
Industrials
Healthcare
Industry
Aerospace & Defense
Biotechnology
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)
Cystic Fibrosis CFTR Modulators
Market structure
Quasi-Monopoly
Quasi-Monopoly
Market share
n/a
70%-78% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
83 / 100
99 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Supply, Demand
Legal, Demand, Financial, Supply
Last update
2025-12-23
2026-01-08

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Government Contracting Relationships

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. strengths

Contractual ExclusivityCapex Knowhow ScaleCompliance AdvantageDesign In QualificationLong Term Contracts

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated strengths

IP Choke PointSwitching Costs GeneralBenchmark Pricing PowerRegulated Standards PipeService Field NetworkCapacity Moat

Segment mix

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Newport News Shipbuilding (Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Quasi-Monopoly

51.7%

Ingalls Shipbuilding (Non-Nuclear Shipbuilding)

Quasi-Monopoly

23.9%

Mission Technologies (Defense Tech & Services)

Competitive

24.4%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated segments

Full profile >

Cystic Fibrosis CFTR Modulators

Quasi-Monopoly

99.9%

Hemoglobinopathies Gene Therapy (CASGEVY)

Oligopoly

0.1%

Acute Pain (JOURNAVX)

Competitive

n/a

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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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.