VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Nasdaq, Inc. vs Waters Corporation

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

Nasdaq, Inc.

NDAQ · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$56.4B
Gross margin (TTM)41.1%
Operating margin (TTM)27.2%
Net margin (TTM)19.9%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
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 Nasdaq, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View NDAQ analysis

Waters Corporation

WAT · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorHealthcare
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-09
Moat score
66/ 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 Waters Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View WAT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Nasdaq, Inc. leads (76 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Nasdaq, Inc. has 3 segments (42.4% in Capital Access Platforms); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Moat breadth: Nasdaq, Inc. has 9 moat types across 5 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

Nasdaq, Inc.

Capital Access Platforms

Market

Issuer and investor solutions: listings, index licensing, market data, and investment analytics/workflow platforms

Geography

Global (with major exposure to U.S. and Nordic/Baltic markets)

Customer

Public/private companies (issuers), asset managers, institutional investors, data subscribers

Role

Listing venue + index administrator/licensor + data/analytics provider

Revenue share

42.4%

Waters Corporation

Waters instrument systems

Market

Liquid chromatography (LC/UPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analytical instrument systems (including LC-MS workflows and instrument control/data system software)

Geography

Global

Customer

Pharma/biotech, industrial, academic and government laboratories

Role

OEM + software/platform provider

Revenue share

34.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Nasdaq, Inc.
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
NDAQ - NASDAQ
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$56.4B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
41.1%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
27.2%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
19.9%
n/a
Sector
Financials
Healthcare
Industry
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Capital Access Platforms
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
80%-84% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
76 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Network, Supply, Demand, Financial
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-31
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Brand TrustData Workflow LockinLong Term Contracts

Nasdaq, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseTwo Sided NetworkPhysical Network DensityDe Facto StandardBenchmark Pricing PowerCompliance Advantage

Waters Corporation strengths

Design In QualificationInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlService Field Network

Segment mix

Nasdaq, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Market Services

Competitive

21.9%

Capital Access Platforms

Oligopoly

42.4%

Financial Technology

Competitive

35.6%

Waters Corporation segments

Full profile >

Waters instrument systems

Oligopoly

34.9%

Chemistry consumables

Competitive

19.1%

Waters service & software maintenance

Competitive

34%

TA instrument systems & service

Oligopoly

12%

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.