I’m sure the thought may have popped into your mind as to the most expensive stocks in the world looking at how global markets have started to crash over the past 3 months. However, when it comes to stock markets, expensive is a relative term.
The fraternity of analysts across the globe measures/evaluates a company’s stock price against several metrics such as its sales, earnings, future growth potential, book value, free cash flow, etc
However, few novice investors are attracted solely by the company’s stock price based on the last traded price. You will be surprised to learn that there is a stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that is so expensive that a single stock is worth more than the prevailing market price of a decent home in many parts of the world. world. Although it can be difficult to understand how the price of a stock can have such enormous value.
These stocks are listed on exchanges such as NYSE, NASDAQ, National Stock Exchange (NSE), SWX (Switzerland) and others.
We’ve compiled the list below of the most expensive stocks based on the last quoted price as of June 18, 2022, along with their total market capitalization. (Source Investing.com)
Discover the 15 most expensive stocks in the world
PS: In case you are new to the world of investing, market capitalization is obtained by multiplying the current market price of the company by the outstanding shares issued by the company. The figures mentioned below are in US dollars.
1. Berkshire Hathaway
Stock price: $403,150 (Class A)
Market capitalization: 592.09 billion
Berkshire Hathaway is the most expensive stock in the world. It is a US-based American conglomerate holding company serving the insurance, real estate, media and consumer goods industries. Berkshire Hathaway began as a textile manufacturing company when it was founded 182 years ago in 1839.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett is chairman and CEO of the company and is popularly known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his investment philosophy. Warren Buffett said at one of the company’s annual shareholder meetings that buying out Berkshire Hathaway in 1964 was perhaps one of the biggest mistakes he ever made in his investment journey.
He further explained that if he had not bought more equity in the company and instead invested that amount directly in the insurance industry, it would have already produced phenomenal returns.
Berkshire Hathaway now has a stake in more than 60 different companies operating in many industries. He owns a majority stake in about 20 other companies like Coca-Cola Company, BOA (Bank of America) and Apple.
2. Lindt & Spruengli AG
Stock price: CHF95,200
Market capitalization: 22.89 billion
Lindt & Spruengli is a multinational confectionery company based in Switzerland, which is the majority shareholder of the five largest chocolate producing establishments in the world, including Russell Stover Candies.
Lindt & Spruengli was founded in 1845 and is today one of the ten largest chocolate producers in the world. It was founded by David Sprüngli-Schwarz and Rudolf Lindt.
3.Seaboard Corporation
Stock price: $3,710
Market capitalization: 4.31 billion
Seaboard Corporation is a multinational agribusiness and transportation giant primarily involved in pork and sugar production, commodity trading, freight transportation, and the energy sector.
The company and its subsidiaries, which operate in 45 countries around the world, employ more than 23,000 people. It was founded in 1983 by Otto Bresky.
4. NVR Inc.
Stock price: $3,699.9
Market capitalization: 12.17 billion
NVR, Inc., a US-based construction and mortgage company, is ranked third in our list of the world’s 15 most expensive stocks. The company was established in 1980 and listed on the stock exchange in 1993. NVHomes, Rymarc Homes and Heartland Homes are direct subsidiaries of the company which contribute to its revenue.
The company focuses on Eastern markets and targets the construction of single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. NVR is one of the constituents of the S&P 400 index.
5. Embedding the alphabet
Stock price: Class A – $2,142.87; Class C – $2,157.37
Market capitalization: 1.42 trillion
Alphabet Inc, an American multinational corporation is the parent company of Google LLC and several other subsidiaries. Alphabet is the fourth largest company in the world with a market capitalization of $1.42 trillion.
It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 while studying at Stanford University. California-based Google Inc, which went public in 2004 at $50 a share, is the undisputed leader in the search engine segment worldwide with a market share of 91.9% in 2022.
In 2015, the company underwent a corporate restructuring in which all companies, including Google, became a direct subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
6. Auto area
Stock price: $1,992.55
Market capitalization: 38.83 billion
AutoZone is America’s largest auto parts retailer with over 6,000 outlets across the country as of 2022. The company also operated in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Brazil.
The company has shown growth for many consecutive years, taking the stock from $155 in 2010 to over $2,000 per share in 2022.
7. Reservation credits
Stock price: $1,906.87
Market capitalization: 77.46 billion
Booking Holdings began operations over 25 years ago as Priceline.com. The company allows travelers to purchase travel packages at attractive rates by offering discounts. The company went public two years later in 1999.
Many popular leading companies such as Booking.com, Agoda, Opentable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak.com are its subsidiaries. He bought Kayak.com for $1.8 billion and OpenTable for $2.6 billion in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The company opted for inorganic growth by acquiring Momondo Group, Cheapflights and Rentalcars.com and eventually changed its name to Bookings Holdings in 2018.
8.Markel Corporation
Stock price: $1,282.2
Market capitalization: 17.4 billion
Markel Corporation shares are the eighth most expensive in the world and have business interests in the insurance and investment industry worldwide. The holding company was publicly traded in 1986 at $8.33 per share with a market capitalization of just $15 million.
Markel Co. has acquired several companies operating in various industries through its investment arm. The company is present in more than 18 countries and entered the list of Fortune 500 companies in 2016.
9. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG)
Stock price: $1245.6
Market capitalization: 34.83 billion
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is an American fast-casual restaurant chain with over 2,000 outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France. The company specializes in Mission bowls, tacos and burritos that are prepared in front of the customer.
Chipotle was founded in 1993 by Steve Ells. Chipotle owned 16 restaurants when quick-service giant McDonald’s Corporation became a major shareholder in the company in 1998. McDonald’s pulled out completely in 2006.
10. White Mountains Insurance Group
Stock price: $1,216.08
Market capitalization: 3.58 billion
White Mountains Insurance Group, headquartered in Bermuda, is a financial services company with significant ownership interests in brokerage firms, life insurers and reinsurance companies. The company also has a business interest in technology ventures for the insurance vertical.
The insurance company is part of the Russell 1000 Index with total assets of around $6.5 billion, according to the company’s website.
11. One/Sparklight cable
Stock price: $1,214.25
Market capitalization: 7.28 billion
Cable One is one of the leading broadband communications service providers in the United States. The company provides service to 21 states and over 900,000 residential and commercial customers as of 2022. The company was a subsidiary of Graham Holdings until 2015.
Cable One was renamed Sparklight in 2019. It is part of the S&P indices. Cable One launched a new IPTV-based service, Sparklight TV, in 2020.
12. Mettler-Toledo International
Stock price: $1,097.8
Market capitalization: 24.9 billion
Mettler Toledo is dedicated to manufacturing various types of analytical and scientific instruments. The Americas and Europe region represents the majority of its sales. It is one of the largest suppliers of weighing instruments to laboratory, industrial and food distribution companies.
The company’s stock price has fallen from around $415 per share in 2017 to around $1,100 per share in 2022.
13. FRM
Stock price: 857.33 USD (Price converted from INR to USD)
Market capitalization: 4.5 billion
MRF (short for Madras Rubber Factory) Limited, is the largest multinational tire manufacturing company in India, headquartered in Chennai. MRF is ranked among the world’s top 20 tire manufacturers.
The company started its business as a manufacturer of toy balls a year before India became independent in 1946 in Tiruvottiyur, Chennai. MRF then branched out into the tread rubber industry in 1952.
14.Tesla, Inc.
Stock price: $650.28
Market capitalization: 673.94 billion
Tesla is an American automotive and energy company that is also the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles. It is the first automaker in the world to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion in 2021.
The company also manufactures solar panels, solar tiles and batteries to provide green energy. Tesla and 27 other companies formed ZETA (Zero Emission Transport Association (ZETA) in 2020 to convert all internal combustion vehicles to electric.
Palo-Alto-based Tesla Inc was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. However, current CEO Elon Musk is the face of the company and a major shareholder with a roughly 17% stake in Tesla. . In 2009, Tesla produced its first car model, the Roadster. Tesla has 99,290 employees and 598 retail stores spread across different parts of the world in 2022.
15. Graham Holdings Company
Stock price: $537.57
Market capitalization: 3 billions
Graham Holdings Company is a United States-based organization that owns controlling interests in several print, cable television, and website companies. GHC sold its entire stake in one of its brand newspapers, The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million to Nash Holdings, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
GHC has many companies in its portfolio like Kaplan Inc., The Slate Group and six TV stations operating in six US states. The company recorded the highest price ever of $703/share in July 2015.
I hope you enjoyed reading our article on the most expensive stocks in the world. Also, do you have any of these stocks in your portfolio? Feel free to add your contributions, if any, in our comments section below!
