VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Morningstar, Inc. vs Microsoft Corporation

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

Microsoft Corporation

MSFT · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$3.6T
Gross margin (TTM)68.8%
Operating margin (TTM)46.3%
Net margin (TTM)35.7%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
84/ 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 Microsoft Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MSFT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Microsoft Corporation leads (84 / 100 vs 67 / 100 for Morningstar, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Morningstar, Inc. has 7 segments (34.6% in Morningstar Data and Analytics); Microsoft Corporation has 3 segments (42.9% in Productivity and Business Processes).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Moderate vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Morningstar, Inc. has 6 moat types across 3 domains; Microsoft Corporation has 9 across 4.

Primary market context

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar Data and Analytics

Market

Investment data, research, and analytics platforms

Geography

Global

Revenue share

34.6%

Microsoft Corporation

Productivity and Business Processes

Market

Enterprise productivity & collaboration suites, business applications, and professional network platforms

Geography

Global

Customer

Enterprises, SMBs, consumers, recruiters/advertisers

Role

SaaS platform + professional network

Revenue share

42.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Morningstar, Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
MORN - NASDAQ
MSFT - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
n/a
$3.6T
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
68.8%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
46.3%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
35.7%
Sector
Financials
Technology
Industry
n/a
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Morningstar Data and Analytics
Productivity and Business Processes
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Strong
Moat score
67 / 100
84 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Legal
Demand, Network, Supply, Legal
Last update
2026-01-10
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow LockinSuite Bundling

Morningstar, Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardRegulated Standards PipeTraining Org Change CostsIP Choke Point

Microsoft Corporation strengths

Long Term ContractsTwo Sided NetworkCapex Knowhow ScaleEcosystem ComplementsOperational ExcellenceDefault OS GatewayContent Rights Currency

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%

Microsoft Corporation segments

Full profile >

Productivity and Business Processes

Oligopoly

42.9%

Intelligent Cloud

Oligopoly

37.7%

More Personal Computing

Quasi-Monopoly

19.4%

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.