VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. vs Moody's Corporation

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

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.

LPLA · Nasdaq

Market cap (USD)$25.5B
Gross margin (TTM)23.7%
Operating margin (TTM)9.6%
Net margin (TTM)5.1%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Capital Markets
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-26
Moat score
79/ 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 LPL Financial Holdings Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View LPLA analysis

Moody's Corporation

MCO · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$80.3B
Gross margin (TTM)68.2%
Operating margin (TTM)44.5%
Net margin (TTM)31.9%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
79/ 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 Moody's Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MCO analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score: both at 79 / 100.
  • Segment focus: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advisor Platform); Moody's Corporation has 2 segments (53.5% in Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; Moody's Corporation has 5 across 4.

Primary market context

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.

Advisor Platform

Market

Advisor-mediated wealth management platform (independent broker-dealer + RIA custody/clearing)

Geography

United States

Customer

Financial advisors and financial institutions

Role

Platform / broker-dealer / custodian

Revenue share

100%

Moody's Corporation

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Market

Credit ratings and ratings-related research

Geography

Global

Customer

Issuers, investors, regulators

Role

Credit rating agency / research provider

Revenue share

53.5%

Side-by-side metrics

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
Moody's Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
LPLA - Nasdaq
MCO - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$25.5B
$80.3B
Gross margin (TTM)
23.7%
68.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
9.6%
44.5%
Net margin (TTM)
5.1%
31.9%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Capital Markets
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Advisor Platform
Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
23%-25% (reported)
29%-32% (estimated)
HHI estimate
n/a
3,568
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
79 / 100
79 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Legal, Network
Legal, Network, Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-26
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostSuite BundlingOperational ExcellenceCompliance AdvantageTwo Sided NetworkSwitching Costs General

Moody's Corporation strengths

Regulated Standards PipeDe Facto StandardBrand TrustData Workflow LockinScope Economies

Segment mix

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advisor Platform

Oligopoly

100%

Moody's Corporation segments

Full profile >

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Oligopoly

53.5%

Moody's Analytics (Risk & Data/Software)

Competitive

46.5%

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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.