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 S&P Global Inc.

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

S&P Global Inc.

SPGI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$164.1B

Gross margin (TTM)70%

Operating margin (TTM)40.7%

Net margin (TTM)27.5%

SectorFinancials

IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges

CountryUS

Data as of2025-12-21

Moat score

77/ 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 S&P Global Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View SPGI analysis

Comparison highlights

Moat score gap: S&P Global Inc. leads (77 / 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)); S&P Global Inc. has 5 segments (32.6% in S&P Global Market Intelligence).
Moat breadth: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 moat types across 3 domains; S&P Global Inc. has 9 across 5.

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%

S&P Global Inc.

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Market

Financial market data, analytics, and workflow tools for institutions

Geography

Global

Customer

B2B (institutional investors, banks, insurers, corporates)

Role

Data/analytics and workflow software provider

Revenue share

32.6%

Side-by-side metrics

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

S&P Global Inc.

Ticker / Exchange

IHG - London Stock Exchange

SPGI - New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)

$18.8B

$164.1B

Gross margin (TTM)

n/a

70%

Operating margin (TTM)

n/a

40.7%

Net margin (TTM)

n/a

27.5%

Sector

Consumer

Financials

Industry

n/a

Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges

HQ country

Primary segment

Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Market structure

Oligopoly

Market share

n/a

HHI estimate

n/a

Pricing power

Moderate

Moat score

57 / 100

77 / 100

Moat domains

Demand, Supply, Network

Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial

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

S&P Global Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinScope EconomiesRegulated Standards PipeDe Facto StandardCompliance AdvantageSwitching Costs GeneralEcosystem ComplementsBenchmark Pricing Power

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%

S&P Global Inc. segments

Full profile >

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Oligopoly

32.6%

S&P Global Ratings

Oligopoly

29.6%

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Oligopoly

15.1%

S&P Global Mobility

Competitive

11.3%

S&P Dow Jones Indices

Oligopoly

11.4%

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.