VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Stock Comparison

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. vs VeriSign, 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)$29.9B
SectorFinancials
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

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)
SectorTechnology
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 79 / 100 for LPL Financial Holdings Inc.).
  • Segment focus: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advisor Platform); VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Monopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 4 domains; VeriSign, Inc. has 4 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%

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

LPL Financial Holdings Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
LPLA - Nasdaq
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$29.9B
n/a
Sector
Financials
Technology
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Advisor Platform
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Monopoly
Market share
23%-25% (reported)
100% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
10,000
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
79 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand, Legal, Network
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Last update
2025-12-26
2025-12-31

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Operational Excellence

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostSuite BundlingCompliance AdvantageTwo Sided NetworkSwitching Costs General

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advisor Platform

Oligopoly

100%

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

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.