VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

Stock Comparison

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. vs Morningstar, Inc.

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

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

ICE · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$84.4B
Gross margin (TTM)69%
Operating margin (TTM)40.8%
Net margin (TTM)30%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2026-05-26
Moat score
91/ 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 Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ICE analysis

Morningstar, Inc.

MORN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$6.7B
Gross margin (TTM)61.7%
Operating margin (TTM)22.7%
Net margin (TTM)16.1%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-10
Moat score
67/ 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 Morningstar, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MORN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. leads (91 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has 4 segments (46.2% in Exchange transaction and clearing); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has 8 moat types across 4 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

Exchange transaction and clearing

Market

Global regulated derivatives, cash equities, equity options, OTC energy trading and clearing venues

Geography

Global, with major venues and clearing houses in the U.S., U.K., EU, Canada, Asia Pacific and the Middle East

Customer

Financial institutions, asset managers, market makers, hedgers, corporates, energy firms and brokers

Role

Regulated exchange operator, execution venue and central counterparty clearing infrastructure

Revenue share

46.2%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
ICE - New York Stock Exchange
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$84.4B
$6.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
69%
61.7%
Operating margin (TTM)
40.8%
22.7%
Net margin (TTM)
30%
16.1%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Exchange transaction and clearing
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
19.8%-20.1% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
91 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Financial, Demand, Supply
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2026-05-26
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow Lockin

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkBenchmark Pricing PowerClearing SettlementBrand TrustScope EconomiesEcosystem ComplementsData Network Effects

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Exchange transaction and clearing

Oligopoly

46.2%

Exchange data, connectivity and listings

Oligopoly

13.6%

Fixed Income and Data Services

Oligopoly

22.1%

Mortgage Technology

Quasi-Monopoly

18.1%

Morningstar, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Oligopoly

34.6%

PitchBook

Oligopoly

27.2%

Morningstar Credit

Oligopoly

12.8%

Morningstar Wealth

Competitive

10.9%

Morningstar Retirement

Competitive

5.6%

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Oligopoly

5.2%

Morningstar Indexes

Oligopoly

3.7%

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.