VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. vs Morningstar, Inc.

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

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

MKTX · NASDAQ Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$6.3B
Gross margin (TTM)66.2%
Operating margin (TTM)41.2%
Net margin (TTM)26.2%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Capital Markets
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-23
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 MarketAxess Holdings Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MKTX analysis

Morningstar, Inc.

MORN · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorFinancials
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-10
Moat score
67/ 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 Morningstar, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MORN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: MarketAxess Holdings Inc. leads (74 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has 2 segments (87.1% in Trade Execution Solutions); Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics).
  • Moat breadth: MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Morningstar, Inc. has 6 across 3.

Primary market context

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.

Trade Execution Solutions

Market

Electronic fixed-income trade execution platforms (credit and rates)

Geography

Global

Customer

Institutional investors, broker-dealers, and alternative liquidity providers

Role

Electronic trading venue / marketplace operator

Revenue share

87.1%

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Side-by-side metrics

MarketAxess Holdings Inc.
Morningstar, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
MKTX - NASDAQ Global Select Market
MORN - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$6.3B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
66.2%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
41.2%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
26.2%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
Financial - Capital Markets
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Trade Execution Solutions
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
19% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
74 / 100
67 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Legal
Demand, Network, Legal
Last update
2025-12-23
2026-01-10

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow Lockin

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. strengths

Two Sided NetworkData Network EffectsCompliance AdvantageSwitching Costs GeneralEcosystem Complements

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Segment mix

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. segments

Full profile >

Trade Execution Solutions

Oligopoly

87.1%

Services (Data, Post-Trade and Technology)

Competitive

12.9%

Morningstar, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Oligopoly

34.6%

PitchBook

Oligopoly

27.2%

Morningstar Credit

Oligopoly

12.8%

Morningstar Wealth

Competitive

10.9%

Morningstar Retirement

Competitive

5.6%

Morningstar Sustainalytics

Oligopoly

5.2%

Morningstar Indexes

Oligopoly

3.7%

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.