I’m sure the thought might have cropped up in your mind as to which are the world’s most expensive stocks looking at the way world markets have started tumbling down in the past 3 months. However, when it comes to stock markets, expensive is a relative term.
The analyst fraternity across the world measures/values the share price of a company relative to several parameters like its sales, earnings, future growth potential, book value, free cash flow, etc.
However, few novice investors get attracted merely to the stock price of the company based on the last traded price. You will be surprised to know there is one stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that is so expensive that a single share is worth more than the prevailing market price of a decent house in many parts of the world. Although it might be tough to comprehend how a share price could carry such huge value.
These stocks are listed on stock exchanges like NYSE, NASDAQ, National Stock Exchange (NSE), SWX (Switzerland), and others.
We have compiled the below list of highest-priced stocks based on the latest quoted stock price as of 18th June 2022 along with their total market capitalization. (Source Investing.com)
Check out the World’s 15 Most Expensive Stocks
PS: In case you happen to be new in the world of investing, the market cap is arrived at by multiplying the current market price of the company by outstanding shares issued by the company. The figures mentioned below are in US Dollars.
1. Berkshire Hathaway
Stock Price: 403,150 USD (Class A)
Market Cap: 592.09 Billion
Berkshire Hathaway is the world’s most expensive stock. It is a US-based American conglomerate holding company that caters to the insurance, real estate, media, and consumer goods sectors. Berkshire Hathaway initially started as a textile manufacturing company when it was founded 182 years ago in the year 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 in one of the company’s annual shareholder meetings that buying out Berkshire Hathaway in 1964 was perhaps one of the biggest ever mistakes he did in his investment journey.
He further elaborated that had he not purchased more equity in the company and rather invested that amount directly in the insurance business, it would have delivered phenomenal returns by now.
Berkshire Hathaway now owns a stake in more than 60 different companies operating in many sectors. He owns a majority stake in approximately 20 other companies like Coca-Cola Company, BOA (Bank of America), and Apple.
2. Lindt & Spruengli AG
Stock Price: 95,200 CHF
Market Cap: 22.89 Billion
Lindt & Spruengli is a Switzerland-based multinational confectionery company, which is the majority shareholder of the world’s five largest chocolate-producing establishments in the world, including Russell Stover Candies.
Lindt & Spruengli was founded in the year 1845 and it is now one of the ten biggest chocolate producers in the world. It was founded by David Sprüngli-Schwarz and Rudolf Lindt.
3. Seaboard Corporation
Stock Price: 3,710 USD
Market Cap: 4.31 Billion
Seaboard Corporation is a multinational agribusiness and transportation behemoth that caters primarily to pork and sugar production, commodity trading, cargo shipping, and the power sector.
The company along with its subsidiaries which have operations in 45 countries across the world has more than 23,000 people on its payroll. It was founded in the year 1983 by Otto Bresky.
4. NVR Inc
Stock Price: 3,699.9 USD
Market Cap: 12.17 Billion
NVR, Inc., a U.S 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 topline.
The company’s focus is on the Eastern markets and targets the construction of single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. NVR is one of the constituents of the S&P 400 index.
5. Alphabet Incorporation
Stock Price: Class A – $2,142.87; Class C – $2,157.37
Market Cap: 1.42 Trillion
Alphabet Inc, an American multinational company is the parent company of Google LLC and several other subsidiary companies. Alphabet is the world’s fourth-largest company with a market cap of $1.42 trillion.
It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 when they were studying at Stanford University. California-based Google Inc, which went public in 2004 at $50 per share, is the undisputed leader in the search engine segment worldwide with a market share of 91.9% as of 2022.
In 2015, the company went through a corporate restructuring wherein all companies including Google became a direct subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
6. AutoZone
Stock Price: 1,992.55 USD
Market Cap: 38.83 Billion
AutoZone is America’s largest auto parts retailer which has more than 6000 retail outlets across the nation as of 2022. The company also operated in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil.
The company posted growth for many consecutive years that led the stock to rise from $155 in 2010 to more than $2000 per share in 2022.
7. The Booking Holdings
Stock Price: 1,906.87 USD
Market Cap: 77.46 Billion
Booking Holdings started its operations more than 25 years ago as Priceline.com. The company allows travellers to purchase travel packages at attractive rates by offering discounts. The company went for IPO two years later in 1999.
Many popular leading companies like Booking.com, Agoda, Opentable, Rentalcars.com and Kayak.com are its subsidiary companies. It purchased Kayak.com for $1.8 billion and OpenTable for $2.6 billion in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The company went 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 USD
Market Cap: 17.4 Billion
Markel Corporation stock is the eighth-most expensive in the world and has business interests in the insurance and investment business around the world. The holding company was listed on stock exchanges in 1986 at $8.33 per share with a market cap of just $15 million.
Markel Co. has acquired several companies operating in various sectors via its investment arm. The company has operations in more than 18 countries and made its entry into the list of Fortune 500 companies in 2016.
9. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG)
Stock Price: 1245.6 USD
Market Cap: 34.83 Billion
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is an American chain of fast-casual dining restaurants which has more than 2000 outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France. The company specializes in bowls, tacos and Mission burritos which are prepared right in front of the customer.
Chipotle was founded in the year 1993 by Steve Ells. Chipotle had 16 restaurants when Quick service giant McDonald’s Corporation became a major shareholder in the company in 1998. McDonald’s exited completely in 2006.
10. White Mountains Insurance Group
Stock Price: 1,216.08 USD
Market Cap: 3.58 Billion
Bermuda headquartered White Mountains Insurance Group is a financial services company holding major shareholding in brokerage firms, life insurers, and reinsurance companies. The company also has a business interest in tech companies catering to the insurance business vertical.
The insurance company is part of the Russell 1000 Index with total assets of approximately $6.5 billion as per the company’s website.
11. Cable One/Sparklight
Stock Price: 1,214.25 USD
Market Cap: 7.28 Billion
Cable One is one of the leading broadband communication service providers in the United States. The company provides service to 21 states and more than 900,000 residential and business customers as of 2022. The company was a subsidiary of Graham Holdings company until 2015.
Cable One was re-branded as 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 USD
Market Cap: 24.9 Billion
Mettler Toledo is engaged in the business of manufacturing various types of analytical and scientific instruments. American and Euro region contributes the majority of its sales. It is one of the largest suppliers of weighing instruments to laboratory, industrial, and food retailing companies.
The company’s stock price zoomed from around $415 price/share in 2017 to approximately $1100 per share in 2022.
13. MRF
Stock Price: 857.33 USD (Converted price from INR to USD)
Market Cap: 4.5 Billion
MRF (abbreviation for Madras Rubber Factory) Limited, is India’s largest multinational tyre manufacturing company headquartered in Chennai. MRF is ranked among the top 20 global tyre manufacturers.
The company started its operations as a toy balloon manufacturer a year before India became independent in 1946 at Tiruvottiyur, Chennai. MRF later diversified into the tread rubber industry in 1952.
14. Tesla, Inc.
Stock Price: 650.28 USD
Market Cap: 673.94 Billion
Tesla is an American automotive and energy company that is also the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer. It is the world’s first automobile maker to reach a $1 trillion dollar market cap in 2021.
The company also makes solar panels, solar roof tiles, and batteries to provide green energy. Tesla along with 27 other companies have formed ZETA (Zero Emission Transport Association (ZETA) in the year 2020 to move all internal combustion vehicles to electric.
Palo-Alto-based Tesla Inc was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. However present CEO Elon Musk is the face of the company and a major shareholder with approximately 17% stake in Tesla. In the year 2009, Tesla produced its debut car model, the Roadster. Tesla has 99,290 employees and 598 retail stores spread across different parts of the world as of 2022.
15. Graham Holdings Company
Share price: 537.57 USD
Market Cap: 3 Billion
Graham Holdings Company is a U.S based organization that owns a majority stake in several print media companies, cable television, and websites. GHC divested its entire holding in one of its trademark 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 ever price of $703/share in July 2015.
Hope you liked reading our article on the world’s most expensive stocks. Also, do you have any of these stocks in your portfolio? Feel free to add your inputs if any in our comments section below!
