MoatScan's AI has now analyzed 520+ US-listed companies, scoring each across the five moat pillars — network effects, switching costs, intangible assets, cost advantages, and efficient scale — and assigning an overall Moat Score (0–100) plus a durability rating (Wide / Narrow / No Moat). This article looks at what sits at the top of that distribution as of July 2026: the widest moats in the database, and the patterns they share.
The table below is a snapshot; the live wide moat stocks list re-ranks automatically as new analyses are generated and old ones are refreshed.
The top wide-moat stocks by Moat Score
| # | Company | Moat Score | Moat Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) | 84/100 | Positive |
| 2 | ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) | 83/100 | Stable |
| 3 | CME Group Inc. (CME) | 83/100 | Stable |
| 4 | S&P Global Inc. (SPGI) | 83/100 | Stable |
| 5 | Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) | 82/100 | Positive |
| 6 | Apple Inc. (AAPL) | 81/100 | Stable |
| 7 | Copart Inc. (CPRT) | 81/100 | Stable |
| 8 | Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) | 81/100 | Positive |
| 9 | Visa Inc. (V) | 81/100 | Stable |
| 10 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SPCX) | 80/100 | Positive |
Each linked analysis includes the full five-pillar breakdown with evidence, a management quality assessment, an AI opportunity/threat scoring, a financial health score, and an AI-estimated fair value.
Pattern 1: The widest moats stack multiple pillars
Almost nothing at the top of the list relies on a single moat source. The signature of a 80+ Moat Score is two or three pillars reinforcing each other: a network effect that creates switching costs, a scale advantage that funds the brand, a license that protects the network. Single-pillar moats — even strong ones — tend to land in the 60s and 70s, because one mechanism means one point of failure.
The practical lesson for stock pickers: when you hear a one-sentence moat story ("they have the network"), ask what the second pillar is. The companies built to survive twenty years usually have an answer.
Pattern 2: Durability and strength are different axes
Not every high scorer earns a Wide Moat rating, and some Wide Moat names score lower than you'd expect. That's by design — the score measures how strong the advantages are today; the rating judges how long they should last. A high-scoring company facing a credible platform-shift threat (see How AI Is Reshaping Economic Moats) can earn a Narrow rating despite today's dominance; a steady efficient-scale business can earn Wide with a moderate score.
When the two disagree, that disagreement is the analysis — it tells you exactly what debate the stock hinges on.
Pattern 3: A wide moat is not a buy signal
The most important caveat in this entire article: the market knows about these companies. Wide-moat stocks are, on average, expensive — and a great business at the wrong price is a bad investment. Several of the names in the table above trade well above their AI-estimated fair value.
That's why the more actionable screen is usually the intersection: moat-rated companies currently trading below estimated intrinsic value. That list — the undervalued moat stocks screen — recalculates against live prices and is where moat analysis meets valuation discipline.
Explore the data yourself
- The full ranked list, updated automatically: wide moat stocks and narrow moat stocks
- Pillar-by-pillar leaders: network effects · switching costs · intangible assets · cost advantages · efficient scale
- Or search any US ticker and run a fresh analysis: start free with 20 credits.
Methodology: each company is analyzed by MoatScan's AI across five moat pillars (each rated 0–10, with written evidence); the Moat Score is a weighted average scaled to 0–100, and the Wide/Narrow/No-Moat rating is assessed independently as a durability judgment. Details in our methodology. Scores reflect each company's most recent analysis date and are refreshed as analyses re-run. Nothing here is investment advice.