VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Saturday, January 3, 2026

Stock Comparison

VeriSign, Inc. vs Xero Limited

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

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$22.3B
Gross margin (TTM)88%
Operating margin (TTM)67.6%
Net margin (TTM)49.9%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Xero Limited

XRO · Australian Securities Exchange

Market cap (USD)
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorTechnology
Industry
CountryNZ
Data as of2026-01-02
Moat score
71/ 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 Xero Limited's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View XRO analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 71 / 100 for Xero Limited).
  • Segment focus: VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)); Xero Limited has 2 segments.
  • Primary market structure: Monopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: VeriSign, Inc. has 4 moat types across 4 domains; Xero Limited has 7 across 3.

Primary market context

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Xero Limited

Core Accounting Subscription Platform

Market

Cloud accounting software for small businesses and their advisors

Geography

Global

Customer

SMB; accountants & bookkeepers

Role

Software platform (SaaS)

Side-by-side metrics

VeriSign, Inc.
Xero Limited
Ticker / Exchange
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
XRO - Australian Securities Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$22.3B
n/a
Gross margin (TTM)
88%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
67.6%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
49.9%
n/a
Sector
Technology
Technology
Industry
Software - Infrastructure
n/a
HQ country
US
NZ
Primary segment
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Core Accounting Subscription Platform
Market structure
Monopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
100% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
10,000
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
100 / 100
71 / 100
Moat domains
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Demand, Network, Financial
Last update
2025-12-31
2026-01-02

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardOperational ExcellenceFloat Prepayment

Xero Limited strengths

Data Workflow LockinSwitching Costs GeneralTwo Sided NetworkBenchmark Pricing PowerInteroperability HubEcosystem ComplementsSuite Bundling

Segment mix

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

Xero Limited segments

Full profile >

Core Accounting Subscription Platform

Oligopoly

n/a

Platform Services (Payments, Payroll, App Ecosystem)

Competitive

n/a

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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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.