VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★
NO ADVICE
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Stock Comparison
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
ISRG · NASDAQ
Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.
Full stock profile
Dive deeper into Intuitive Surgical, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.
View ISRG analysisUlta Beauty, Inc.
ULTA · NASDAQ
Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.
Full stock profile
Dive deeper into Ulta Beauty, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.
View ULTA analysisComparison highlights
- Moat score gap: Intuitive Surgical, Inc. leads (83 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
- Segment focus: Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has 3 segments (60.8% in Instruments and Accessories); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
- Primary market structure: Monopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
- Moat breadth: Intuitive Surgical, Inc. has 9 moat types across 4 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.
Primary market context
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
Instruments and Accessories
Proprietary robotic surgery instruments, accessories, and consumables used per procedure on the da Vinci (and Ion) installed base
Global
Hospitals and surgery centers purchasing consumables; surgeons and OR teams as end users
Consumables OEM within proprietary platform
60.8%
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Beauty Products Retail
U.S. beauty products retail (specialty omnichannel beauty retailer)
United States
Consumers (end-users) shopping in-store and online
Specialty retailer / distributor
94%
Side-by-side metrics
Moat coverage
Shared moat types
No overlap yet.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. strengths
Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths
Segment mix
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. segments
Full profile >Systems
Quasi-Monopoly
Instruments and Accessories
Monopoly
Services
Monopoly
Ulta Beauty, Inc. segments
Full profile >Beauty Products Retail
Competitive
Beauty Services
Competitive
Platform Monetization (Retail Media, Credit Cards, Partner Royalties, Deferred Revenue)
Competitive
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Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.
View expansion-stage stocksCuration & 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.