VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. vs S&P Global 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)$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

S&P Global Inc.

SPGI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$126.4B
Gross margin (TTM)70.3%
Operating margin (TTM)42.2%
Net margin (TTM)29.2%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
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 S&P Global Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View SPGI analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. leads (79 / 100 vs 77 / 100 for S&P Global Inc.).
  • Segment focus: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advisor Platform); S&P Global Inc. has 5 segments (32.6% in S&P Global Market Intelligence).
  • Moat breadth: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; S&P Global Inc. has 9 across 5.

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%

S&P Global Inc.

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Market

Financial market data, analytics, and workflow tools for institutions

Geography

Global

Customer

B2B (institutional investors, banks, insurers, corporates)

Role

Data/analytics and workflow software provider

Revenue share

32.6%

Side-by-side metrics

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
S&P Global Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
LPLA - Nasdaq
SPGI - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$25.5B
$126.4B
Gross margin (TTM)
23.7%
70.3%
Operating margin (TTM)
9.6%
42.2%
Net margin (TTM)
5.1%
29.2%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Capital Markets
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Advisor Platform
S&P Global Market Intelligence
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
77 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Legal, Network
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-26
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Compliance AdvantageSwitching Costs General

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostSuite BundlingOperational ExcellenceTwo Sided Network

S&P Global Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinScope EconomiesRegulated Standards PipeBrand TrustDe Facto StandardEcosystem ComplementsBenchmark Pricing Power

Segment mix

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advisor Platform

Oligopoly

100%

S&P Global Inc. segments

Full profile >

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Oligopoly

32.6%

S&P Global Ratings

Oligopoly

29.6%

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Oligopoly

15.1%

S&P Global Mobility

Competitive

11.3%

S&P Dow Jones Indices

Oligopoly

11.4%

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.