Wal-Mart Stores

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Market Cap: $221.1 Billion
Industry: Discount Stores
Founded: 1962
Chief Executive Officer: C. Douglas McMillon
Employees: 2,300,000
Sales: $485.25 Billion
Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas

 

Summary: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. engages in retail and wholesale business and operates through Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. They provide services similar to supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, specialty electronics centers, apparel stores, drug stores, and convenience stores. They also offer specialty services, auto buying, optical services, hearing aid centers, tire and battery centers, and business operations support services.

 

Why you should care: Wal-Mart has pioneered the modern discount store, but—most recently—has fallen behind competitors like Amazon. In an effort to keep pace, Wal-Mart is beginning to research and produce specialty foods. Among their experiments is the “fruit punch pickle.” We will not be surprised to see Wal-Mart grow significantly over the next few years as it continues to innovate.

 

Alphabet

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Market Cap: $579.5 Billion
Industry: Computer Services
Founded: 2015
Chief Executive Officer: Lawrence E. Page
Employees: 72,053
Sales: $89.92 Billion
Headquarters: Mountain View, California

Summary: Alphabet Inc. is a holding company; it engages in the business of acquisition and operation of different companies. It operates through the Google and Other Bets segments—the Google segment includes Internet products (search, ads, commerce, maps, apps, cloud, &c), and the Other Bets segment includes businesses such as Access, Google Fiber, Calico, Nest, Verily, and other Google initiatives. A relatively new company, Alphabet Inc. was created through a corporate restructuring of Google.

 

Why you should care: In 2017, Alphabet invested heavily in Cuemath, Lyft, and United Masters. They also acquired smartphone technology startup Redux, which specializes in turning smartphone screens into speakers. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman, said that there may eventually be more than 26 Alphabet subsidiaries. He is currently meeting with CEOs of current and proposed Alphabet subsidiaries, foreshadowing massive growth in the coming years.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

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Market Cap: $409.9 Billion
Industry: Investment Service
Founded: 1839
Chief Executive Officer: Warren Edward Buffet
Employees: 367,700
Sales: $222.94 Billion
Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska

 

Summary: Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. engages in the provision of property and casualty insurance, utilities, energy, freight rail transportation, finance, manufacturing, retailing, and services—their diverse assets comprise the most valuable corporation/company in the United States and the third largest in the World. They ranked sixth in global sales and seventh in profit, ranking second in American sales and third in American profit.

 

Why you should care: Believe it or not, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is still growing. They have their hands in several dozen services—from retail and rail services to insurance and financial consulting. It also has a substantial investment portfolio, owning large stakes in companies like Mars, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, and Kraft Heinz. It is also one of the largest insurance companies in the world.