VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Morningstar, Inc. vs MSCI Inc.

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

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

MSCI Inc.

MSCI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$45B
Gross margin (TTM)82.4%
Operating margin (TTM)54.2%
Net margin (TTM)40%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-28
Moat score
76/ 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 MSCI Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MSCI analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: MSCI Inc. leads (76 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics); MSCI Inc. has 4 segments (55.9% in Index).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Morningstar, Inc. has 6 moat types across 3 domains; MSCI Inc. has 4 across 3.

Primary market context

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

MSCI Inc.

Index

Market

Investment indexes and index licensing

Geography

Global

Customer

Institutional investors and asset managers

Role

Index provider / benchmark administrator

Revenue share

55.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Morningstar, Inc.
MSCI Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
MORN - NASDAQ
MSCI - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
n/a
$45B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
82.4%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
54.2%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
40%
Sector
Financials
Financials
Industry
n/a
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Index
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
23%-27% (implied)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
67 / 100
76 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Legal
Network, Demand, Legal
Last update
2026-01-10
2025-12-28

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow LockinDe Facto Standard

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

Regulated Standards PipeSuite BundlingTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

MSCI Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralCompliance Advantage

Segment mix

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%

MSCI Inc. segments

Full profile >

Index

Oligopoly

55.9%

Analytics

Oligopoly

23.6%

Sustainability and Climate

Competitive

11.4%

Private Assets

Competitive

9%

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.