VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

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Sunday, January 11, 2026

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Stock Comparison

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC vs Moody's Corporation

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

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

IHG · London Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$18.8B

Gross margin (TTM)—

Operating margin (TTM)—

Net margin (TTM)—

SectorConsumer

Industry—

CountryGB

Data as of2026-01-10

Moat score

57/ 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 Hotels Group PLC's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View IHG analysis

Moody's Corporation

MCO · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$95.6B

Gross margin (TTM)67.5%

Operating margin (TTM)43.5%

Net margin (TTM)29.9%

SectorFinancials

IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges

CountryUS

Data as of2025-12-21

Moat score

79/ 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 Moody's Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MCO analysis

Comparison highlights

Moat score gap: Moody's Corporation leads (79 / 100 vs 57 / 100 for InterContinental Hotels Group PLC).
Segment focus: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 5 segments (36% in Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)); Moody's Corporation has 2 segments (53.5% in Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)).
Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
Moat breadth: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Moody's Corporation has 5 across 4.

Primary market context

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Market

Branded hotel franchising and management services

Geography

Global

Customer

Hotel owners and developers

Role

Franchisor and hotel manager (asset-light brand platform)

Revenue share

36%

Moody's Corporation

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Market

Credit ratings and ratings-related research

Geography

Global

Customer

Issuers, investors, regulators

Role

Credit rating agency / research provider

Revenue share

53.5%

Side-by-side metrics

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

Moody's Corporation

Ticker / Exchange

IHG - London Stock Exchange

MCO - New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)

$18.8B

$95.6B

Gross margin (TTM)

n/a

67.5%

Operating margin (TTM)

n/a

43.5%

Net margin (TTM)

n/a

29.9%

Sector

Consumer

Financials

Industry

n/a

Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges

HQ country

Primary segment

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Market structure

Oligopoly

Market share

n/a

29%-32% (estimated)

HHI estimate

n/a

3,568

Pricing power

Moderate

Strong

Moat score

57 / 100

79 / 100

Moat domains

Demand, Supply, Network

Legal, Network, Demand, Supply

Last update

2026-01-10

2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand Trust

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostLong Term ContractsTwo Sided NetworkDistribution ControlPass-through reimbursement revenueAsset-heavy hotel operations (limited moat)Immaterial ancillary activity

Moody's Corporation strengths

Regulated Standards PipeDe Facto StandardData Workflow LockinScope Economies

Segment mix

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC segments

Full profile >

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

Oligopoly

36%

System Fund (marketing, reservations and loyalty assessments)

Monopoly

32.7%

Reimbursable revenues (managed hotel staff reimbursements)

Competitive

20.3%

Owned, leased and managed lease hotels

Competitive

10.5%

Insurance activities (ancillary)

Competitive

0.5%

Moody's Corporation segments

Full profile >

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Oligopoly

53.5%

Moody's Analytics (Risk & Data/Software)

Competitive

46.5%

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.