VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

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)$95.1B
Gross margin (TTM)55.4%
Operating margin (TTM)38.1%
Net margin (TTM)25.2%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-30
Moat score
87/ 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)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
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 (87 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has 3 segments (53.4% in Exchanges); 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 10 moat types across 4 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

Exchanges

Market

Derivatives, cash equities, and listings exchanges plus central clearing (CCP) services

Geography

Global

Customer

Market participants (banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, proprietary traders) and issuers

Role

Exchange operator + clearing house (CCP)

Revenue share

53.4%

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)
$95.1B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
55.4%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
38.1%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
25.2%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Exchanges
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
75% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
87 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Legal, Demand, Supply
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2025-12-30
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow Lockin

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. strengths

Clearing SettlementConcession LicenseTwo Sided NetworkBrand TrustData Network EffectsPhysical Network DensityInteroperability HubStandards RegistryCompliance Advantage

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Exchanges

Oligopoly

53.4%

Fixed Income and Data Services

Oligopoly

24.8%

Mortgage Technology

Oligopoly

21.8%

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?

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.

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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.