VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

MSCI Inc. vs The Trade Desk, Inc.

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

MSCI Inc.

MSCI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$43.5B
Gross margin (TTM)82.9%
Operating margin (TTM)55.4%
Net margin (TTM)40.7%
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

The Trade Desk, Inc.

TTD · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$10.8B
Gross margin (TTM)78.6%
Operating margin (TTM)20.4%
Net margin (TTM)15.3%
SectorCommunication Services
IndustrySoftware - Application
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-26
Moat score
62/ 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 The Trade Desk, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View TTD analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: MSCI Inc. leads (76 / 100 vs 62 / 100 for The Trade Desk, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: MSCI Inc. has 4 segments (55.9% in Index); The Trade Desk, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Competitive. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: MSCI Inc. has 4 moat types across 3 domains; The Trade Desk, Inc. has 4 across 2.

Primary market context

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%

The Trade Desk, Inc.

Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)

Market

Demand-side platforms (DSP) for programmatic advertising (open internet)

Geography

Global

Customer

Advertising agencies and advertisers

Role

Buy-side platform / demand aggregation

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

MSCI Inc.
The Trade Desk, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
MSCI - New York Stock Exchange
TTD - NASDAQ
Market cap (USD)
$43.5B
$10.8B
Gross margin (TTM)
82.9%
78.6%
Operating margin (TTM)
55.4%
20.4%
Net margin (TTM)
40.7%
15.3%
Sector
Financials
Communication Services
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
Software - Application
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Index
Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Competitive
Market share
23%-27% (implied)
6%-10% (implied)
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
76 / 100
62 / 100
Moat domains
Network, Demand, Legal
Network, Demand
Last update
2025-12-28
2025-12-26

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Switching Costs General

MSCI Inc. strengths

De Facto StandardCompliance AdvantageData Workflow Lockin

The Trade Desk, Inc. strengths

Interoperability HubData Network EffectsStandards Registry

Segment mix

MSCI Inc. segments

Full profile >

Index

Oligopoly

55.9%

Analytics

Oligopoly

23.6%

Sustainability and Climate

Competitive

11.4%

Private Assets

Competitive

9%

The Trade Desk, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Advertising Technology Platform (DSP)

Competitive

100%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

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

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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.