VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Waters Corporation vs Xero Limited

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

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

Xero Limited

XRO · Australian Securities Exchange

Market cap (USD)$18.3B
Gross margin (TTM)85.3%
Operating margin (TTM)17.6%
Net margin (TTM)11.5%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Application
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: Xero Limited leads (71 / 100 vs 66 / 100 for Waters Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Waters Corporation has 4 segments (34.9% in Waters instrument systems); Xero Limited has 2 segments.
  • Moat breadth: Waters Corporation has 7 moat types across 2 domains; Xero Limited has 7 across 3.

Primary market context

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%

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

Waters Corporation
Xero Limited
Ticker / Exchange
WAT - New York Stock Exchange
XRO - Australian Securities Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$23.7B
$18.3B
Gross margin (TTM)
n/a
85.3%
Operating margin (TTM)
n/a
17.6%
Net margin (TTM)
n/a
11.5%
Sector
Healthcare
Technology
Industry
n/a
Software - Application
HQ country
US
NZ
Primary segment
Waters instrument systems
Core Accounting Subscription Platform
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
n/a
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Moderate
Moderate
Moat score
66 / 100
71 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Supply
Demand, Network, Financial
Last update
2026-01-09
2026-01-02

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Data Workflow Lockin

Waters Corporation strengths

Design In QualificationBrand TrustInstalled Base ConsumablesSupply Chain ControlLong Term ContractsService Field Network

Xero Limited strengths

Switching Costs GeneralTwo Sided NetworkBenchmark Pricing PowerInteroperability HubEcosystem ComplementsSuite Bundling

Segment mix

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%

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?

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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.