VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC vs The Trade Desk, 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

The Trade Desk, Inc.

TTD · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$18.3B
Gross margin (TTM)78.8%
Operating margin (TTM)18.9%
Net margin (TTM)15.7%
SectorCommunication Services
IndustrySoftware - Application
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-26
Moat score
62/ 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 The Trade Desk, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View TTD analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: The Trade Desk, Inc. leads (62 / 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)); The Trade Desk, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Moderate vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 moat types across 3 domains; The Trade Desk, Inc. has 4 across 2.

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%

The Trade Desk, Inc.

Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)

Market

Demand-side platforms (DSP) for programmatic advertising (open internet)

Geography

Global

Customer

Advertising agencies and advertisers

Role

Buy-side platform / demand aggregation

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
The Trade Desk, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
IHG - London Stock Exchange
TTD - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$18.8B
$18.3B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
78.8%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
18.9%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
15.7%
Sector
Consumer
Communication Services
Industry
n/a
Software - Application
HQ country
GB
US
Primary segment
Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)
Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
n/a
6%-10% (implied)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
57 / 100
62 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Network
Network, Demand
Last update
2026-01-10
2025-12-26

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC strengths

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

The Trade Desk, Inc. strengths

Interoperability HubSwitching Costs GeneralData Network EffectsStandards Registry

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%

The Trade Desk, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)

Competitive

100%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

View expansion-stage stocks

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.