VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Linde plc vs Waters Corporation

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

Linde plc

LIN · Nasdaq Stock Market

Market cap (USD)$207.4B
Gross margin (TTM)40.5%
Operating margin (TTM)27.2%
Net margin (TTM)21.2%
SectorMaterials
IndustryChemicals - Specialty
CountryIE
Data as of2025-12-29
Moat score
72/ 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 Linde plc's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View LIN analysis

Waters Corporation

WAT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-09
Moat score
66/ 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 Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WAT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Linde plc leads (72 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Linde plc has 4 segments (43.8% in Americas); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Moat breadth: Linde plc has 5 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

Linde plc

Americas

Market

Industrial gases (Americas)

Geography

Americas

Customer

B2B + healthcare

Role

Producer, distributor, on-site plant owner/operator

Revenue share

43.8%

Waters Corporation

Waters instrument systems

Market

Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)

Geography

Global

Customer

Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories

Role

OEM + software/platform provider

Revenue share

34.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Linde plc
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
LIN - Nasdaq Stock Market
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$207.4B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
40.5%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
27.2%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
21.2%
n/a
Sector
Materials
Healthcare
Industry
Chemicals - Specialty
n/a
HQ country
IE
US
Primary segment
Americas
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
72 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Legal
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Long Term Contracts

Linde plc strengths

Physical Network DensityScale Economies Unit CostCapex Knowhow ScaleIP Choke Point

Waters Corporation strengths

Data Workflow LockinDesign In QualificationBrand TrustInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlService Field Network

Segment mix

Linde plc segments

Full profile >

Americas

Oligopoly

43.8%

EMEA

Oligopoly

25.3%

APAC

Oligopoly

20.1%

Engineering

Competitive

7%

Waters Corporation segments

Full profile >

Waters instrument systems

Oligopoly

34.9%

Chemistry consumables

Competitive

19.1%

Waters service & software maintenance

Competitive

34%

TA instrument systems & service

Oligopoly

12%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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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.