VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

London Stock Exchange Group plc vs Waters Corporation

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

London Stock Exchange Group plc

LSEG · London Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$45.5B
Gross margin (TTM)51.5%
Operating margin (TTM)19.6%
Net margin (TTM)9.4%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryGB
Data as of2025-12-30
Moat score
74/ 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 London Stock Exchange Group plc's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View LSEG analysis

Waters Corporation

WAT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-09
Moat score
66/ 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 Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WAT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: London Stock Exchange Group plc leads (74 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: London Stock Exchange Group plc has 5 segments (51% in Data & Analytics); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Moat breadth: London Stock Exchange Group plc has 8 moat types across 4 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

London Stock Exchange Group plc

Data & Analytics

Market

Financial market data, analytics and workflows (terminals and enterprise feeds)

Geography

Global

Customer

Financial institutions and corporates

Role

Data & analytics vendor

Revenue share

51%

Waters Corporation

Waters instrument systems

Market

Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)

Geography

Global

Customer

Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories

Role

OEM + software/platform provider

Revenue share

34.9%

Side-by-side metrics

London Stock Exchange Group plc
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
LSEG - London Stock Exchange
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$45.5B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
51.5%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
19.6%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
9.4%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Healthcare
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
n/a
HQ country
GB
US
Primary segment
Data & Analytics
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
74 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Network, Legal
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-30
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow LockinBrand Trust

London Stock Exchange Group plc strengths

Scale Economies Unit CostDe Facto StandardCompliance AdvantageTwo Sided NetworkClearing SettlementConcession License

Waters Corporation strengths

Design In QualificationInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlLong Term ContractsService Field Network

Segment mix

London Stock Exchange Group plc segments

Full profile >

Data & Analytics

Oligopoly

51%

FTSE Russell

Oligopoly

10.7%

Risk Intelligence

Oligopoly

6.2%

Capital Markets

Oligopoly

21.3%

Post Trade

Quasi-Monopoly

10.8%

Waters Corporation segments

Full profile >

Waters instrument systems

Oligopoly

34.9%

Chemistry consumables

Competitive

19.1%

Waters service & software maintenance

Competitive

34%

TA instrument systems & service

Oligopoly

12%

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.