VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Stock Comparison

Pfizer Inc. vs Waters Corporation

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

Pfizer Inc.

PFE · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$144.8B
Gross margin (TTM)71.2%
Operating margin (TTM)27.8%
Net margin (TTM)15.6%
SectorHealthcare
IndustryDrug Manufacturers - General
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-29
Moat score
58/ 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 Pfizer Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View PFE 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 58 / 100 for Pfizer Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Pfizer Inc. has 5 segments (47.4% in Primary Care); Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems).
  • Moat breadth: Pfizer Inc. has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Waters Corporation has 7 across 2.

Primary market context

Pfizer Inc.

Primary Care

Market

Branded primary care medicines and vaccines (incl. cardiovascular, migraine, pneumococcal/RSV/COVID-19)

Geography

Global

Customer

Healthcare providers, payers/PBMs, pharmacies/wholesalers, and government procurement

Role

Innovator biopharma (R&D + manufacturing + commercialization)

Revenue share

47.4%

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

Pfizer Inc.
Waters Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
PFE - New York Stock Exchange
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$144.8B
$23.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
71.2%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
27.8%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
15.6%
n/a
Sector
Healthcare
Healthcare
Industry
Drug Manufacturers - General
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Primary Care
Waters instrument systems
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
58 / 100
66 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Demand, Supply
Demand, Supply
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-09

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Long Term Contracts

Pfizer Inc. strengths

IP Choke PointProcurement InertiaGovernment Contracting RelationshipsCapex Knowhow ScaleCompliance AdvantageOperational ExcellenceEmbedded R&D partnership platform

Waters Corporation strengths

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

Segment mix

Pfizer Inc. segments

Full profile >

Primary Care

Oligopoly

47.4%

Specialty Care

Oligopoly

26.2%

Oncology

Competitive

24.5%

Pfizer CentreOne

Competitive

1.8%

Pfizer Ignite

Competitive

0.1%

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?

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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.