The Largest Company by Market Cap in Every Sector and Industry

As the 2024 year enters Q3, the market remains strong with quite a few familiar names topping the charts. Despite the pandemic and years-long concerns about a looming recession, it seems investors are still optimistic about the potential growth of companies across various sectors and industries. While the usual titans of tech, finance, and energy remain at the top, there are plenty of impressive contenders across all industries to keep an eye on. Using market data, LLC Attorney. has created this report to reveal which companies are at the top of every sub-industry, industry, industry group, and finally, sector.

Click the image to expand

What Is Market Cap?

So, what does market cap mean?

Market capitalization, or market cap, is a key metric for gauging a company's size, financial health, and growth potential. It represents the total market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock, and a particular company’s market cap will fluctuate over time with its share price. Market cap is calculated by multiplying the current share price by the total number of shares, and companies are divided into large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap sectors. This figure provides investors and analysts with a snapshot of a company’s size and value relative to its peers, and allows investors opportunities for unique investment profiles and business strategies.

What are the Major Sectors of the Market?

The stock market is organized into a four-tiered, hierarchical industry classification system known as GICS®. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) is a global standard, introduced in 1999 by S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI. This universal approach allows for more efficient investment research and asset management for financial professionals worldwide.

The four tiers of GICS® are sectors, industry Groups, industries and sub-industries.

sectors

There are 11 sectors, and they are as follows:

energy

Largest company by market cap: Exxon Mobil Corporation

This sector includes things like oil, gas, and consumable fuels. Any company that finds, refines, transports or provides equipment for such processes is also under this umbrella.

Materials

Largest company by market cap: Linde

Any company which provides the raw materials needed for the other sectors to functions is under Materials. For example, precious metal mining or wood companies.

Industrials

Largest company by market cap: GE Aerospace

Military weapons, airlines, railroads and aerospace engineering are some of the companies that make up this category. This category is quite large and encompasses 14 different industries.

Consumer Discretionary

Largest company by market cap : Apple Inc

This refers specifically to luxury items or consumer goods that are not specific to survival. Sporting goods, jewelry, and electronic devices are included.

Consumer Staples

Largest company by market cap : Walmart

Contrasting with Consumer Discretionary, this category covers the companies that provide necessities, such as food and beverages and household products.

Health Care

Largest company by market cap : Eli Lilly and Company

Unsurprisingly, Health Care encompasses medical supply companies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers. Eli Lilly, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, tops this sector at $876B

Financials

Largest company by market cap : Berkshire Hathaway

The Financial sector includes companies who manage finance, investing, and the storage or movement of money. Credit card companies, credit unions, insurance companies, and mortgage real estate investment trusts (REITs) are some examples of the businesses that make up this category.

Information Technology

Largest company by market cap : Microsoft

IT consists of any company that develops or distributes tech services or devices. Internet companies and computer, microprocessor and operating system companies are all included. Microsoft, the top company that falls under this categorization, is currently one of the largest companies by market cap, at over $3 trillion.

Communication Services

Largest company by market cap : Alphabet

Cable, internet, and phone plan providers make up this sector. Perhaps more interestingly, the companies that deal with media, entertainment, interactive services and social media are also included under this umbrella.

Utilities

Largest company by market cap : NextEra Energy

Not to be confused with the Energy sector, Utilities covers the companies that provide electricity, water, and gas to homes and commercial and public buildings. This is the sector that tends to encompass most of the businesses responsible for developing renewable energy.

Real Estate

Largest company by market cap : Prologis

And finally, Real Estate refers to any company that deals with Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), as well as real estate companies. This is the newest S&P sector. w`

Who Are the Largest Companies by Market Cap?

Unsurprisingly, tech reigns supreme with companies like Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia far surpassing others in their sectors. Though Apple and Microsoft are close, currently Microsoft is the most valuable company in the world for 2024, at $3,365.91B.

Finance also remains strong, with companies like Berkshire Hathaway at over $800B

Healthcare has been a growing sector, thanks to companies like Eli Lilly ($898B) and Novo Nordisk ($624B), whose recent innovations in GLP1-agonists have created interest from investors.

Amazon, as one of the biggest companies by market cap in the world, has unsurprisingly topped the charts for Consumer Discretionary. Even Tesla, at $841B is less than half the size of the online retailer’s over $2,000B.

Top 10 Companies by Market Cap

1. Microsoft ($3,365.91B)
2. Apple ($3,229.67B)
3. Nvidia ($3,038.64B)
4. Alphabet Inc. (Google) ($2,259.01B)
5. Amazon ($2,015.91B)
6. Meta Platforms (Facebook) ($1,362B)
7. Berkshire Hathaway ($883.76B)
8. Eli Lilly ($868.57B)
9. Broadcom ($812.17B)
10. JPMorgan Chase ($595.32B)

Looking at the world’s largest companies by market cap offers a wealth of insights into achieving and sustaining business success. By understanding and applying the strategies that have propelled these giants to the top, you can position your business for growth, resilience, and long-term success. At LLC Attorney, we can help you plan, launch, and manage your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you leverage the principles of market leaders to achieve your business goals.

The Top Companies by Market Cap Across All Sectors and Industries

The Top Companies by Market Cap in the 163 Sub-Industries

The Top Companies by Market Cap in the 74 Industries

The Top Companies by Market Cap in the 25 Industry Groups

The Top Companies by Market Cap in the 11 Sectors