Even if investing in them isn’t an option, keeping track of the most expensive stocks is always a good idea. It lets you see how the market is doing, what the trends are, and maybe even get inspiration for their next investment.
Let’s see which companies started out the year with the highest stocks.
What Are the Most Expensive Stocks per Share in 2022?
Stock prices can change at the drop of a hat. This means that some of the companies that featured in the Top 10 in 2021 may not even feature in the Top 20 in 2022.
If you belong to the half of the US population who invests in the stock market, or even if you’re just a trading enthusiast, these are the things you absolutely need to know about the companies that currently boast the highest share prices.
Berkshire Hathaway
Price per share: $466,223 (28/01/2022)
Berkshire Hathaway is a stalwart presence in the top 5 most expensive stocks. Its $700 billion market cap has granted the company an almost permanent spot on Top 10 lists over the last few years.
Before Warren Buffet acquired it, Berkshire Hathaway was a big player in the textiles industry. When it became apparent that business was waning, Buffet started branching out. Now, Berkshire Hathaway acts as a holding company for the entrepreneur’s ventures, and to say that the company’s investment portfolio is varied would be an understatement. Diamonds, ice cream, railroads, financial services, airlines, batteries, vacuum cleaners — you name it. Warren Buffet probably invested in it at some point.
Unlike other CEOs, Buffet made a point of keeping Berkshire Hathaway’s share price high to discourage short-term trading, which could make the market more volatile and unpredictable.
Lindt & Sprungli AG
Price per share: $114,185 (28/01/2022)
Lindt & Sprungli AG is a name that appears frequently in the list of most expensive stocks.
David Sprungly established the company back in 1836, but it only became the chocolatier we know and love when Rudolf Lindt joined it in 1988. The company is now famous for crafting premium chocolate goodies, including Lindt chocolate bars, Lindor truffles, and the famous Gold Bunny.
What started out as a Swiss family company is now a truly global brand that’s present in 120 countries. Over the years, Lindt has acquired renowned chocolatiers from other nations — like Caffarel, Russell Stover, Ghirardelli, and Hofbauer and Küfferle — consolidating its position as the worldwide leader in the industry.
Lindt & Sprungli AG is currently worth $27.5 billion.
NVR, Inc.
Price per share: $5,177 (28/01/2022)
Based in Virginia, NVR Inc. is a home-building and mortgage-loan company that has three main divisions: Ryan Homes, NVHomes, and Heartland Homes. Unlike Lindt, NVR caters exclusively to the US market, offering its services across 14 states.
Being one of the most expensive stocks in the world, NVR’s share price is significantly lower than that of the previous two companies. This isn’t a reflection of NVR’s performance, though. The disparity is largely due to the way each firm divides its shares.
As far as the financial world is concerned, NVR is doing quite well for itself. Its market cap is currently at $18 billion.
Seaboard Corporation
Price per share: $3,734 (28/01/2022)
Seaboard Corporation is an international company that specializes in agriculture, milling, and commodity trading — although it’s probably more well-known for its premium pork products.
Seaboard started out in Kansas back in 1918. The purchase of a flour mill paved the way for a series of national acquisitions, which led the company into going public in 1959. A few years later, Seaboard made its first international acquisition, a flour mill in Ecuador, and it hasn’t looked back since then.
The company now runs operations in 45 countries all over the world, boasting $8.6 billion in annual revenue (2021), a $4.33 billion market cap, and one of the highest stocks today.
Amazon
Price per share: $2,848 (28/01/2022)
Launched by Jeff Bezos in 1994 as an online bookstore, Amazon has grown into one of the largest and well-known companies on the planet. Nowadays, it ships no less than 1.6 million packages per day!
But Amazon is more than just an (enormous) online store. It also provides tech solutions for people and businesses, including cloud computing systems, a video-streaming service, virtual assistance technology, e-readers, Fire sticks, etc.
Furthermore, Amazon is one of the most iconic examples of a company that thrived amid global chaos. A couple of years ago, the pandemic brought about one of the most severe stock market crashes in history. Yet that same year, Amazon had tremendous success, boasting $386 billion in annual revenue (2020), a $1.63 trillion market cap, and a continued spot on the list of the most expensive stocks today.
Alphabet
Price per share: $2,666 (28/01/2022)
Alphabet Inc. is Google’s parent company. It’s also one of the five trillion-dollar businesses on the planet, alongside Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, and Amazon.
The company’s origins go all the way back to 1998, when the Google search bar came out. In 2015, after years of impressive growth and diversification, Google reorganized itself and announced the birth of its parent company.
Alphabet Inc has multiple subsidiaries — e.g., Calico, Waymo, and DeepMind — but none of them are particularly profitable yet. The bulk of the company’s total revenue still comes from Google. The Cloud, Play, and Chrome segments generate billions each year and, perhaps more impressively, the Search segment alone accounted for more than 50% of Alphabet’s revenue in 2021.
Booking Holdings
Price per share: $2,413 (29/01/2022)
Previously known as The Priceline Group Inc, Booking Holdings is one of the most renowned names in the travel industry — and also one of the most expensive stocks right now. It’s the parent company of Kayak.com, Rentalcars.com, Cheapflights, HotelsCombined, and, of course, Booking.com.
Booking Holdings has made its fortune from commissions and advertising on its various websites. The company went public back in 1999, but it really started to take off about a decade later. It went from a $3.01 billion market cap in 2008 all the way to a $60.45 billion market cap in 2013, reaching an all-time-high stock closing price in November 2021 ($2,648).
As you can imagine, the pandemic hit Booking Holdings pretty hard, making its annual earnings plummet from $6.22 billion in 2019 to less than a billion in 2020. Amazingly enough, it still boasted one of the most expensive US stocks amid the industry drop.
Currently, the company is focused on building its way back up and making preparations for its very first Super Bowl ad.
Conclusion
There you have it — the most valuable stocks so far in 2022.
As you can see, there’s no rhyme or reason apparent behind these companies having such pricey stocks. Each of the enterprises above belongs to a different industry, NVR doesn’t operate outside of the US, Lindt’s investment portfolio isn’t particularly diverse, Berkshire Hathaway is more than 180 years old, and Alphabet has barely 25 years in the market.
Still, each of these companies is very impressive in its own right and will probably continue to dazzle us for years to come.
FAQ
What was the most expensive stock in 2020?
The most expensive stocks in 2020 were Berkshire Hathaway, Lindt & Sprungli, Next Plc, and Amazon. However, neither of them made it to the Top 10 best performing stocks of the year.
The companies that saw a higher boost in share price were Tesla (783%), Moderna (528%), and Zoom (413%). It is worth noting, though, that many companies that boomed during the pandemic have since lost their spots on Top 20 lists. The demand for their products and services has stabilized or fallen by now.
Why is Berkshire Hathaway stock so expensive?
The high share price is largely due to the CEO’s decision not to split the stock. Keeping a high share price gives the company added prestige, and also makes short-term trading less accessible. This means less volatility and, arguably, less risk.
Nevertheless, Berkshire Hathaway launched a new share class in 1996, which offered shareholders much smaller pieces of the company for those investors who don’t have millions of dollars to spend.
What are the most expensive stocks in 2022?
The most expensive stocks in 2022 belong to Berkshire Hathaway. This is one of the world’s largest and most valuable companies, and, as such, one of its shares will cost you more than $400,000. Other companies in the top 10 include Lindt & Sprungli, Seaboard Corporation, NVR, Amazon, and Alphabet.
