VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. vs Morningstar, Inc.

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)$28.8B
Gross margin (TTM)24.1%
Operating margin (TTM)9.5%
Net margin (TTM)5.4%
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

Morningstar, Inc.

MORN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-10
Moat score
67/ 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 Morningstar, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MORN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. leads (79 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advisor Platform); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Moat breadth: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

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%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
LPLA - Nasdaq
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$28.8B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
24.1%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
9.5%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
5.4%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Capital Markets
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Advisor Platform
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
23%-25% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
79 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Legal, Network
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2025-12-26
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Suite Bundling

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostOperational ExcellenceCompliance AdvantageTwo Sided NetworkSwitching Costs General

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinDe Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advisor Platform

Oligopoly

100%

Morningstar, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Oligopoly

34.6%

PitchBook

Oligopoly

27.2%

Morningstar Credit

Oligopoly

12.8%

Morningstar Wealth

Competitive

10.9%

Morningstar Retirement

Competitive

5.6%

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Oligopoly

5.2%

Morningstar Indexes

Oligopoly

3.7%

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.