The 20 publicly traded companies with the largest market capitalizations. Since my October 2015 list of the 20 most valuable stocks many of the market caps have declined significantly.
| Company | Country | Market Capitalization | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | USA | $541 billion |
| 2 | Alphabet (GOOGL) | USA | $496 billion |
| 3 | Microsoft | USA | $412 billion |
| 4 | Exxon Mobil | USA | $341 billion |
| 5 | Berkshire Hathaway | USA | $329 billion |
| 6 | USA | $311 billion | |
| 7 | GE | USA | $300 billion |
| 8 | Johnson & Johnson | USA | $296 billion |
| 9 | Amazon | USA | $262 billion |
| 10 | Wells Fargo | USA | $245 billion |
Apple lost $131 billion in market cap since my October post. Alphabet (Google) lost just $1 billion in market cap, and for a short time moved past Apple into the top stop. Facebook achieved a rare increase during this period, gaining $16 billion and moving up 1 spot on the list. All the top 10 most valuable companies are based in the USA once again.
The next ten most valuable companies:
| Company | Country | Market Capitalization | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nestle | Switzerland | $226 billion |
| 12 | Roche | Switzerland | $226 billion |
| 13 | China Mobile | China | $219 billion |
| 14 | Walmart | USA | $216 billion |
| 15 | JPMorgan Chase | USA | $214 billion |
| 16 | Procter & Gamble | USA | $211 billion |
| 17 | Verizon | USA | $209 billion |
| 18 | Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | China | $206 billion* |
| 19 | Novartis | Switzerland | $195 billion |
| 20 | Petro China | China | $191 billion |
Market capitalization shown are of the close of business February 26th, as shown on Google Finance.
The 11th to 20th most valuable companies includes 4 USA companies, 3 Chinese companies and 3 Swiss companies. Toyota fell from 20th to 25th and was replaced in the top 20 by Verizon, which resulted in the USA gaining 1 company and costing Japan their only company in the top 20. Pfizer also dropped out and was replaced by Walmart.
The total value of the top 20 decreased by $189 billion since my October post: from $6.054 trillion to $5.865 trillion. Since my October 2014 post of the 20 most valuable companies in the world the total value of the top 20 companies has risen from $5.722 trillion to $5.865 trillion, an increase of $143 billion. The companies making up the top 20 has changed in each period.
Related: Global Stock Market Capitalization from 2000 to 2012 – Stock Market Capitalization by Country from 1990 to 2010 – Historical Stock Returns
A few other companies of interest (based on their market capitalization):
Pfizer, USA, $190 billion.
Coca-Cola, USA, $187 billion.
Royal Dutch Shell, Netherlands, $181 billion.
Visa, USA, $178 billion.
Toyota, Japan, $177 billion.
Anheuser Busch, Belgium, $175 billion.
Tencent, China, $170 billion.
Alibaba, China, $167 billion.
Chevron, USA, $159 billion.
Oracle, USA, $158 billion.
Walt Disney, USA, $156 billion.
Samsung, Korea, $153 billion**
China Construction Bank, China, $148 billion*
Agricultural Bank of China, China, $148 billion*
PepsiCo, USA, $144 billion
Merck, USA, $143 billion.
Bank of China, China, $136 billion*
Bank of America, USA, $133 billion.
Gilead Sciences, USA, $122 billion.
Citigroup, USA, $119 billion.
Novo Nordisk, Denmark, $108 billion
Sanofi, France, $107 billion
China Life Insurance Company, China, $80 billion
Market capitalization figures were taken from Google finance. ADRs were chosen, if available (so I get the cap reported in USD).
* market cap taken from Google finance based on the Hong Kong exchange (no ADRs option was available) and converted to USD.
** market cap taken from Google finance based on the Korean exchange and converted to USD.
Leave a Reply to The 20 Most Valuable Companies in the World – May 2017 at Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog Cancel reply