Best wide-moat stocks for 2026: durable returns on capital

Name: Best wide-moat stocks — top 25 list
Creator: StockMarketAgent.AI
Published: 2026-08-10
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A wide moat is the single most important variable for long-run total return. Companies that can earn returns on capital materially above their cost of capital, and sustain that gap for years, compound shareholder value at rates that no amount of multiple expansion can match. The list below filters our covered universe for the structural markers of moat durability: ROIC at or above 15%, gross margin at or above 40%, and a market cap large enough to ensure the data is meaningful. Each name carries our archetype-aware fair-value range and current rating in its full report; this listicle is the entry point.

How we picked: Cohort: ROIC at least 15%, gross margin at least 40%, market cap at least $5B. Sorted by market cap descending. The same filter set powers /stock-lists/wide-moat with a tighter freshness gate.

Source snapshot 2026-08-10 · freshness SLO 72 hours.

01
NVDANVIDIA Corporation
ROIC 104.7%, gross margin 74.1% — durable returns above cost of capital.
5.42T USD
02
AAPLApple Inc.
ROIC 101.6%, gross margin 48.7% — durable returns above cost of capital.
4.57T USD
03
GOOGLAlphabet Inc.
ROIC 24.9%, gross margin 60.9% — durable returns above cost of capital.
4.33T USD
04
GOOGAlphabet Inc.
ROIC 24.9%, gross margin 60.9% — durable returns above cost of capital.
4.33T USD
05
MSFTMicrosoft Corporation
ROIC 26.2%, gross margin 67.9% — durable returns above cost of capital.
3.71T USD
06
AVGOBroadcom Inc.
ROIC 24.2%, gross margin 76.3% — durable returns above cost of capital.
2.04T USD
07
TSMTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
ROIC 54.6%, gross margin 64.2% — durable returns above cost of capital.
1.90T TWD
08
METAMeta Platforms, Inc.
ROIC 25.4%, gross margin 81.7% — durable returns above cost of capital.
1.51T USD
09
LLYEli Lilly and Company
ROIC 42.2%, gross margin 83.4% — durable returns above cost of capital.
1.06T USD
10
MUMicron Technology, Inc.
ROIC 67.6%, gross margin 72.6% — durable returns above cost of capital.
991.12B USD
11
SKHYSK hynix Inc.
ROIC 62.1%, gross margin 70.2% — durable returns above cost of capital.
735.36B KRW
12
ASMLASML Holding N.V.
ROIC 66.0%, gross margin 52.7% — durable returns above cost of capital.
665.54B EUR
13
VVisa Inc.
ROIC 54.8%, gross margin 97.7% — durable returns above cost of capital.
665.41B USD
14
JNJJohnson & Johnson
ROIC 19.9%, gross margin 68.1% — durable returns above cost of capital.
624.74B USD
15
MAMastercard Incorporated
ROIC 93.8%, gross margin 100.0% — durable returns above cost of capital.
493.15B USD
16
CSCOCisco Systems, Inc.
ROIC 19.0%, gross margin 64.3% — durable returns above cost of capital.
478.61B USD
17
ABBVAbbVie Inc.
ROIC 17.7%, gross margin 72.8% — durable returns above cost of capital.
434.78B USD
18
AMATApplied Materials, Inc.
ROIC 33.2%, gross margin 49.0% — durable returns above cost of capital.
428.06B USD
19
PLTRPalantir Technologies Inc.
ROIC 363.8%, gross margin 84.8% — durable returns above cost of capital.
413.35B USD
20
LRCXLam Research Corporation
ROIC 70.1%, gross margin 50.5% — durable returns above cost of capital.
389.60B USD
21
KOThe Coca-Cola Company
ROIC 20.1%, gross margin 61.9% — durable returns above cost of capital.
374.54B USD
22
PGThe Procter & Gamble Company
ROIC 21.5%, gross margin 50.9% — durable returns above cost of capital.
338.88B USD
23
NFLXNetflix, Inc.
ROIC 32.4%, gross margin 49.1% — durable returns above cost of capital.
308.71B USD
24
NVSNovartis AG
ROIC 18.8%, gross margin 75.0% — durable returns above cost of capital.
296.43B USD
25
PMPhilip Morris International Inc.
ROIC 29.8%, gross margin 67.5% — durable returns above cost of capital.
295.47B USD

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