VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Moody's Corporation vs Ulta Beauty, Inc.

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

Moody's Corporation

MCO · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$95.6B
Gross margin (TTM)67.5%
Operating margin (TTM)43.5%
Net margin (TTM)29.9%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
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 Moody's Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MCO analysis

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

ULTA · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)13.2%
Net margin (TTM)9.9%
SectorConsumer
IndustrySpecialty Retail
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-06
Moat score
58/ 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 Ulta Beauty, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ULTA analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Moody's Corporation leads (79 / 100 vs 58 / 100 for Ulta Beauty, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Moody's Corporation has 2 segments (53.5% in Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)); Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 3 segments (94% in Beauty Products Retail).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Moody's Corporation has 5 moat types across 4 domains; Ulta Beauty, Inc. has 8 across 5.

Primary market context

Moody's Corporation

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Market

Credit ratings and ratings-related research

Geography

Global

Customer

Issuers, investors, regulators

Role

Credit rating agency / research provider

Revenue share

53.5%

Ulta Beauty, Inc.

Beauty Products Retail

Market

U.S. beauty products retail (specialty omnichannel beauty retailer)

Geography

United States

Customer

Consumers (end-users) shopping in-store and online

Role

Specialty retailer / distributor

Revenue share

94%

Side-by-side metrics

Moody's Corporation
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
MCO - New York Stock Exchange
ULTA - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$95.6B
$29.9B
Gross margin (TTM)
67.5%
39.2%
Operating margin (TTM)
43.5%
13.2%
Net margin (TTM)
29.9%
9.9%
Sector
Financials
Consumer
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
Specialty Retail
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)
Beauty Products Retail
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
29%-32% (estimated)
8%-10% (reported)
HHI estimate
3,568
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
79 / 100
58 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Network, Demand, Supply
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-21
2026-01-06

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Moody's Corporation strengths

Regulated Standards PipeDe Facto StandardBrand TrustData Workflow LockinScope Economies

Ulta Beauty, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralPhysical Network DensityContractual ExclusivityPreferential Input AccessSuite BundlingData Network EffectsTwo Sided NetworkFloat Prepayment

Segment mix

Moody's Corporation segments

Full profile >

Moody's Investors Service (Credit Ratings)

Oligopoly

53.5%

Moody's Analytics (Risk & Data/Software)

Competitive

46.5%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Beauty Products Retail

Competitive

94%

Beauty Services

Competitive

4%

Platform Monetization (Retail Media, Credit Cards, Partner Royalties, Deferred Revenue)

Competitive

2%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

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

View expansion-stage stocks

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.