which are thelargest public companiesnot world?
There are more than 400 US companies in the top 1000 with a combined market value of more than $30 trillion.
With 2021 in the rear view mirror, it's time to see how the largest public companies fared in 2020!
Let's talk first about our methodology. we usemarket value as our main metric. While it could be argued that market value is not a reliable factor, as the market tends to undervalue or overvalue business entities, it is an important factor. After all, it represents the market potential of the company.
And so, we decided to talk about the biggest investment opportunities. Furthermore, this article will also show you someemerging market trends.
Check below and find out which companies are on our list:
Top 5 public companies
Let's start with the giants! All but one of these companies are based in the United States.
1. Apple Inc. it is currently the largest company in the world, with a market value of US$2.266 trillion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Apple Inc., formerly known as Apple Computer Company, is a technology corporation founded in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Since its founding, Apple has been a renowned hardware and software company. It is probably most famous for its line of personal computers and portable devices such as Macs, iPhones, and iPods.
The company's headquarters are located in Cupertino, California. Apple was also the first member of the exclusive club of trillion-dollar companies. It surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization in 2018.
Apple still has some of thebest performing stocks, shot up in the last 12 months,increasing by a staggering 75%.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Apple stock
2. Saudi Aramco is the second largest company in the world, with a market value of US$2.028 trillion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Saudi Aramco manages more than 100 oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia and has the second largest proven crude oil reserves. These facts alone are enough to make it one of the largest global companies.
It was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Its initial public offering took place in 2019 and the company's market capitalization skyrocketed to $2.05 trillion, making itthe first company to surpass the market capitalization of 2 trillion dollars.
Its shares also experienced a huge jump of 152% in the last 12 months.
3. Microsoft Corporation is the third largest company in the world, with a market value of US$1.806 trillion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Microsoft was founded in April 1975 by Harvard University students Bill Gates and Paul Allen. This global information technology company manufactures, licenses, and supports dozens of software products and computing devices. The Windows operating system and Microsoft Office helped Microsoft rank third on our list of the world's most valuable companies.
Although the company started in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it moved to Washington state in 1979. The company has been headquartered in Redmond, WA since 1986.
Discounting the drop in March 2020, Microsoft shares have been rising steadily over the past year.achieving 40% growth.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Microsoft stock
4. Amazon is the fourth largest company in the world, with a market value of US$1.696 trillion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Amazon.com is an electronic commerce corporation headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and has been cited as one of the main reasons behind the rise of online shopping.
(Check out the latestAmazon revenue statistics… are a revelation!)
It didn't take long for Amazon to become one of the top 1000 companies in the world. They achieved their goal by selling everything anyone could need (books, electronics, toys, etc.). They also functioned as a platform for other sellers. The former has taken center stage lately: products like the Kindle and Amazon Echo are breaking sales records.
Shares of one of the world's most valuable companies rose 68% in 2020.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Amazon stock
5. Alphabet Inc. is the fifth largest company in the world, with a market value of US$1.301 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
The world's fifth largest company may not look familiar at first glance, but it should be. That isGoogle parent company. This technological giant has achievedMarket dominance with your search engine, and the list of products and services of this company is endless. Google Maps, YouTube, Android, Chrome, and Nest are just a few notable examples. The company is one ofnot planet.
Google was founded in 1998 in Menlo Park, California by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The couple remains at the helm of Alphabet Inc. to this day. Understandable, considering they made it one of the most valuable companies on the planet. Google's headquarters are located in Mountain View, California.
Along with most of the stock market, Alphabet Inc. experienced a crash in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite this, its shares have risen steadily and areworth 34% more than a year ago.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Google shares
The next 5 largest public companies in the world
Do you want to know who was left out of the big 5? Are here. As you'll notice, there are more companies outside of the US here.
6. Tencent Holdings Limited has a market value of $895.6 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Tencent Holdings Limited is a Chinese multinational corporation established in 1998. It was first incorporated in the Cayman Islands by five people: Ma Huateng, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, Chen Yidan, and Zeng Liqing. It started out as Tencent Inc. Today, it is one of the largest companies by market value in China, as well as the world.
The company is engaged in online advertising services. It also specializes in services and products related to the Internet, entertainment, artificial intelligence, and technology.
Those betting on Tencent stock are winning big as thevalue increased by 94%us last 12 months.
7. Tesla, Inc has a market capitalization of $827.32 billion
(Source: Koyfin)
While easily one of America's top companies now, Tesla got off to a rocky start. It was founded as Tesla Motors in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who had the goal of creating a car manufacturer that was also a technology company. After the initial investments, a battle for control ensued.
A lawsuit was settled in 2009 that allowed the first five employees and investors to name themselves co-founders, including Elon Musk, the company's current CEO.
While Tesla's electric cars are its most famous product, the company also makes solar panels and energy storage solutions. It's probably thebest-known manufacturer of electric vehicles and clean energy productsnot world.
Tesla has probably experienced the fastest growth of all the companies on this list and is now one of the largest and most well-known companies in the world. A year ago, before hisstock price rose 570%, it wasn't even in the top 100 companies by market capitalization.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Tesla stock
8. Facebook has a market capitalization of $760.56 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
We all know this company!Facebookprovides online social networking services.
It allows users to communicate with virtually all other users by sending messages and sharing statuses, images, and videos.
Facebook was founded in 2004 by four students from Harvard University; Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. Previously called TheFacebook, the site was an instant success and quickly became a top 1000 company. The platform has become one of the largest websites in the world, with2.7 billion monthly active users. The corporation's headquarters are in Menlo Park, California.
Like most companies, Facebook has experienced the March 2020 crash, but its share price is steadily rising. And now32% more than 12 months ago.
You may also be interested inHow to buy Facebook shares
9. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a market value of US$725.270 million.
(Source: Yahoo Finance)
Alibaba Group Holding Limited was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, an English teacher from Hangzhou, China. He established his first website to help small Chinese exporters, manufacturers, suppliers and entrepreneurs to trade internationally. Since then, the company has become one of the largest corporations in the world and isChina's most expensive brand.
Today, he deals with comprehensive sales and retail in online marketplaces. He is also involved in cloud computing, digital media and entertainment, innovation initiatives, and others.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited has performed reasonably well in the stock market,with a gain of 23% in the last 12 months.
10. TSMC has a market capitalization of $593.17 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang and is one of the largest companies in Taiwan. It is the world's largest semiconductor foundry, specializing in the manufacturing of integrated circuits and related services.
The March 2020 accident does not appear to have affected the company much. still managed to geta 140% increase in stock price in the past 12 months.
Final Top 10 Public Companies
While not in the top 10, these companies are still huge.
11. Berkshire Hathaway Inc has a market capitalization of $545.98 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
One of the most valuable companies in the world, Berkshire Hathaway, is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1839. The conglomerate is made up of companies like GEICO and Duracell, as well as parts of companies likeCoca Colay Kraft Heinz.
This means that they handle insurance, retail, production and import of sweets, as well as vacuum cleaners, jewelry sales, distribution and production of footwear and uniforms. They even handle newspaper publishing. Oh, and also, electricity and gas services.
Berkshire Hathaway StockThey fluctuated during 2020 but are worth about the same as a year ago.
12. Samsung Electronics has a market value of US$507.6 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Samsung Electronicsis a South Korean corporation. It is one of the world's largest producers of electronic devices and one of the world's leading public companies. The company manufactures a wide range of consumer and industrial electronics, including, but not limited to:
- home appliances
- digital media devices
- memory chips
- Integrated systems
It has become one of the biggest names in technology, contributing around a fifth of South Korea's exports.
Samsung was formally established as a grocery store on March 1, 1938 by Lee Byung-Chull in Taegu, Korea. The company first entered the electronics business in 1969 with black-and-white televisions, exported primarily to China. During the 1970s, the corporation began shipping home electronics around the world. It quickly rose to the top of the list of publicly traded companies by market capitalization.
The value of shares in the stock market is recovering from the March plunge. He hasincreased by 49%us last 12 months.
13. Visa Inc. has a market capitalization of $433.03 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Visa is one of the largest companies in the United States and one of the most recognized brands in the world. It was founded by Dee Hock in 1958 and is currently headquartered in Foster City, California.
The company operates in the financial sector, offering digital payment solutions. Visa accepts millions of international currency transactions through debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, and merchant payment solutions.
Visa shares are on the verge of recovering from their March slide and are worth a little more than they were 12 months ago.
14. Johnson & Johnson has a market value of $424.5 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded by the three Johnson brothers: Robert Wood, James Wood and Edward Mead.
In 1894, Johnson & Johnson launched one of its most iconic products: Johnson's Baby Powder, made up of crushed talc. Now, Johnson & Johnson is one of the largest public companies in the world market. They develop medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and other packaged goods.
Johnson & Johnson's stock value fluctuated throughout 2020 and experienced the inevitable March dip, but still shows steady growth potential. Thisincreased by 8%us last 12 months.
15. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a market capitalization of $407.43 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
JPMorgan Chase & Co is a global banking and financial services holding company founded by J. P. Morgan in 1871. Its headquarters are in New York City. It became one of the most valuable companies in the world after J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan Bank merged in 2000.
JPMorgan Chase & Co Bank Handles:
- bank investment
- private bank
- Commercial bank
- retail banking in the united states
- credit card services
- asset Management
- private wealth management
- treasury
- title divisions
It is also the world's largest bank by market capitalization.
Despite being the bank with the highest market capitalization, JPMorgan Chase & Co's shares were hit hard by the March crash and its market value is about the same as a year ago.
16. Walmart has a market capitalization of $398.28 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart Inc. is one oflargest and most well-known discount store chains. Sam Walton founded Walmart as Wal-Mart Stores in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962 and focused his initial drive on rural areas, avoiding direct rivalry with other chains such as Sears and Kmart.
As it expanded to become one of the largest companies in the world, Walmart developed new retail formats, introducing Sam's Club discount stores.
Walmart inventorythe value has been growing steadily throughout 2020 and the first few months of 2021 and is now23% more than a year ago.
17. Nvidia Corporation is worth $335.67 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
nvidiais an American company famous for designing graphics cards for the professional and gaming markets. It was founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang and Chris Malachowsky. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, it remains one of the world's leading companies when it comes to graphics hardware.
2020 was good for Nvidia, and itsshares rose 129%.
18. Mastercard Incorporated has a market capitalization of $332.85 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
MasterCard is an American multinational corporation and one of the leading players in the financial services industry worldwide. The corporation's main services include payment processing between banks that issue debit and credit cards.More than 25,000 banksall over the world use MasterCard services.
The company was founded in 1966 by several California banks. Number 20 on our list of the largest publicly traded companies was originally called Interbank. It was later renamed Master Charge. The parent company behind MasterCard was the United California Bank. Other banks such as Wells Fargo, Crocker National Bank, Bank of California, and Union Bank of California joined later. In 1979, Master Charge was finally renamed MasterCard.
MasterCard shares were hit hard by the March plunge, halting the steady growth the company has experienced over the past 14 years. The stock price has stabilized and is almost6% more than 12 months ago.
19. Nestle has a market value of $330.22 billion.
(Source: Yahoo Finance)
Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and operating factories in more than 80 countries, Nestlé is easily a household name.
Nestlé's story begins in 1866, with the creation of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, founded by American brothers Charles A. and George Page. The second part of the story began with Henri Nestlé developing a food supplement for children in 1867. The two companies merged to form what is now one of the largest companies in Europe and the world.
Nestle's product list includes a variety of baby food, frozen food, chocolate products, candy, ice cream, instant coffee and tea, pharmaceuticals, etc.
20. UnitedHealth Group has a market capitalization of $321.38 billion.
(Source: Koyfin)
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a managed care healthcare company founded in 1977 by Richard T. Burke. It has long been one of the world's leading publicly traded companies specializing in healthcare products and insurance services. Its headquarters have remained in Minnetonka, Minnesota since its founding.
Like almost every company on this list, UnitedHealth Group was hit by the March slump but made a strong recovery. your actions areworth 24% morethan a year ago
Conclusion
Looking at the list of top 20 public companies, we can easily spot some trends.
In the first place, the occupants of the first place are mainly concerned withElectronic and Internet-Based Servicesin general. The second is that most of the companies on the list are based in the US.
We can expect the first trend to become even more persistent in the coming years. The second is likely to change as more and moreCompanies emerge from the Asian market.
Hopefully, you found this article informative. Until next time, when we bring new data to the table!