VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Oracle Corporation vs Waters Corporation

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

Oracle Corporation

ORCL · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$560.9B
Gross margin (TTM)70.7%
Operating margin (TTM)30.3%
Net margin (TTM)25.3%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-26
Moat score
56/ 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 Oracle Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View ORCL 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: Waters Corporation leads (66 / 100 vs 56 / 100 for Oracle Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Oracle Corporation has 5 segments (42.9% in Infrastructure cloud services and license support); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Oracle Corporation has 7 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

Oracle Corporation

Infrastructure cloud services and license support

Market

Enterprise cloud infrastructure services (IaaS/PaaS, cloud database) plus related support

Geography

Global

Customer

Enterprises & developers

Role

Cloud service provider (IaaS/PaaS)

Revenue share

42.9%

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

Oracle Corporation
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
ORCL - New York Stock Exchange
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$560.9B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
70.7%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
30.3%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
25.3%
n/a
Sector
Technology
Healthcare
Industry
Software - Infrastructure
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Infrastructure cloud services and license support
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
3% (estimated)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Weak
Moderate
Moat score
56 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply, Network
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-26
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Long Term Contracts

Oracle Corporation strengths

Suite BundlingCapex Knowhow ScaleInteroperability HubSwitching Costs GeneralKeystone ComponentTraining Org Change Costs

Waters Corporation strengths

Data Workflow LockinDesign In QualificationBrand TrustInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlService Field Network

Segment mix

Oracle Corporation segments

Full profile >

Applications cloud services and license support

Oligopoly

33.8%

Infrastructure cloud services and license support

Oligopoly

42.9%

Cloud license and on-premise license

Oligopoly

9.1%

Hardware

Competitive

5.1%

Services

Competitive

9.1%

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.

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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.