VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Stock Comparison

Pool Corporation vs S&P Global Inc.

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

Pool Corporation

POOL · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$8.8B
Gross margin (TTM)29.6%
Operating margin (TTM)11.1%
Net margin (TTM)7.8%
SectorIndustrials
IndustryIndustrial - Distribution
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-06
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 Pool Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View POOL analysis

S&P Global Inc.

SPGI · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$161.4B
Gross margin (TTM)70%
Operating margin (TTM)40.7%
Net margin (TTM)27.5%
SectorFinancials
IndustryFinancial - Data & Stock Exchanges
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
77/ 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 S&P Global Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View SPGI analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: S&P Global Inc. leads (77 / 100 vs 56 / 100 for Pool Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Pool Corporation has 1 segment (100% in Wholesale distribution (pool, irrigation, outdoor living)); S&P Global Inc. has 5 segments (32.6% in S&P Global Market Intelligence).
  • Primary market structure: Competitive vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Weak vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Pool Corporation has 5 moat types across 2 domains; S&P Global Inc. has 9 across 5.

Primary market context

Pool Corporation

Wholesale distribution (pool, irrigation, outdoor living)

Market

Wholesale distribution of swimming pool, irrigation/landscape, and related outdoor living products

Geography

North America (majority), with operations in Europe and Australia

Customer

Pool builders/remodelers, pool service/repair professionals, specialty pool retailers, irrigation/landscape contractors, commercial pool operators

Role

Distributor / wholesaler

Revenue share

100%

S&P Global Inc.

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Market

Financial market data, analytics, and workflow tools for institutions

Geography

Global

Customer

B2B (institutional investors, banks, insurers, corporates)

Role

Data/analytics and workflow software provider

Revenue share

32.6%

Side-by-side metrics

Pool Corporation
S&P Global Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
POOL - NASDAQ
SPGI - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$8.8B
$161.4B
Gross margin (TTM)
29.6%
70%
Operating margin (TTM)
11.1%
40.7%
Net margin (TTM)
7.8%
27.5%
Sector
Industrials
Financials
Industry
Industrial - Distribution
Financial - Data & Stock Exchanges
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Wholesale distribution (pool, irrigation, outdoor living)
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Market structure
Competitive
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Weak
Moderate
Moat score
56 / 100
77 / 100
Moat domains
Supply, Demand
Demand, Supply, Legal, Network, Financial
Last update
2026-01-06
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Scope EconomiesData Workflow Lockin

Pool Corporation strengths

Physical Network DensityScale Economies Unit CostProcurement Inertia

S&P Global Inc. strengths

Regulated Standards PipeBrand TrustDe Facto StandardCompliance AdvantageSwitching Costs GeneralEcosystem ComplementsBenchmark Pricing Power

Segment mix

Pool Corporation segments

Full profile >

Wholesale distribution (pool, irrigation, outdoor living)

Competitive

100%

S&P Global Inc. segments

Full profile >

S&P Global Market Intelligence

Oligopoly

32.6%

S&P Global Ratings

Oligopoly

29.6%

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Oligopoly

15.1%

S&P Global Mobility

Competitive

11.3%

S&P Dow Jones Indices

Oligopoly

11.4%

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.