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 Visa 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

Visa Inc.

V · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$678.7B
Gross margin (TTM)80.4%
Operating margin (TTM)60%
Net margin (TTM)50.1%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
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 Visa Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View V analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Visa 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)); Visa Inc. has 4 segments (35.9% in Data processing revenue).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs n/a.
  • Moat breadth: InterContinental Hotels Group PLC has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Visa Inc. has 7 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%

Visa Inc.

Data processing revenue

Market

Payment transaction processing (authorization, clearing and settlement) for VisaNet and related network access

Geography

Global

Customer

Issuers, acquirers, payment processors

Role

Network processor / switch (authorization, clearing, settlement)

Revenue share

35.9%

Side-by-side metrics

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Visa Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
IHG - London Stock Exchange
V - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$18.8B
$678.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
80.4%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
60%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
50.1%
Sector
Consumer
Financials
Industry
n/a
Financial - Credit Services
HQ country
GB
US
Primary segment
Fee business (franchise, management and ancillary fees)
Data processing revenue
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
n/a
Moat score
57 / 100
77 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Network
Network, Demand, Supply, Legal
Last update
2026-01-10
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustTwo Sided Network

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC strengths

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

Visa Inc. strengths

Clearing SettlementCapex Knowhow ScaleCompliance AdvantageSuite BundlingData Workflow Lockin

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%

Visa Inc. segments

Full profile >

Service revenue

Oligopoly

31.5%

Data processing revenue

Oligopoly

35.9%

International transaction revenue

Oligopoly

25.4%

Other revenue

Competitive

7.3%

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.