VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. vs Visa 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

Visa Inc.

V · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$618.8B
Gross margin (TTM)81.1%
Operating margin (TTM)59.2%
Net margin (TTM)50.2%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Credit Services
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 Visa Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View V analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. leads (79 / 100 vs 77 / 100 for Visa Inc.).
  • Segment focus: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advisor Platform); Visa Inc. has 4 segments (35.9% in Data processing revenue).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs n/a.
  • Moat breadth: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; Visa Inc. has 7 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%

Visa Inc.

Data processing revenue

Market

Payment transaction processing (authorization, clearing and settlement) for VisaNet and related network access

Geography

Global

Customer

Issuers, acquirers, payment processors

Role

Network processor / switch (authorization, clearing, settlement)

Revenue share

35.9%

Side-by-side metrics

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
Visa Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
LPLA - Nasdaq
V - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$25.5B
$618.8B
Gross margin (TTM)
23.7%
81.1%
Operating margin (TTM)
9.6%
59.2%
Net margin (TTM)
5.1%
50.2%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Capital Markets
Financial - Credit Services
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Advisor Platform
Data processing revenue
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
23%-25% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
n/a
Moat score
79 / 100
77 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Legal, Network
Network, Demand, Supply, Legal
Last update
2025-12-26
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Suite BundlingCompliance AdvantageTwo Sided Network

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostOperational ExcellenceSwitching Costs General

Visa Inc. strengths

Brand TrustClearing SettlementCapex Knowhow ScaleData Workflow Lockin

Segment mix

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advisor Platform

Oligopoly

100%

Visa Inc. segments

Full profile >

Service revenue

Oligopoly

31.5%

Data processing revenue

Oligopoly

35.9%

International transaction revenue

Oligopoly

25.4%

Other revenue

Competitive

7.3%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

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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.