Investing in the largest companies on the LSE

For many UK investors, the idea of investing in a very large and well-established company is highly appealing. So, which companies are actually the largest ones traded on the London Stock Exchange?

Data from Match 2021 show us that these were the three largest companies, by market capitalization (”market cap”).

  • Toyota Motor Corporation, with a market cap exceeding £180 billion.
  • Boeing Co., with a market cap just below £109 billion.
  • Royal Dutch Shell Plc, with a market cap exceeding £107 billion.

The market capitalization is the total value of all the company´s shares. It is calculated by multiplying the number of shares of the company by current market price of one share. All this company can be trades using a stock broker account. You can trade on the LSE using almost any stock broker.

Toyota

Toyota Motor Corporation net revenue in 2020: 30 trillion JPY

The Toyota Motor Corporation is the leading motor vehicle manufacturer based on global sales. In the fiscal year 2020, the corporation produced 8.8 million vehicles and sold 9.5 million vehicles worldwide.

This is a Japanese corporation, headquartered in the city Toyota after which it is named. The corporation produces cars, trucks and motorcycles under several different brands, including the luxury brand Lexus and the Millennial-aimed Scion.

After suffering through the worldwide recession that started in 2008, Toyota – who also took damange from natural disasters in production locations – surged back financially in 2013. Today, it is the most valuable car brand in the world, ahead of both Mercedes-Benz and Honda.

Future

Toyota is already well positioned on the alternative fuel and hybrid vehicle market, partly due to the success of the trailblazing Toyota Prius. The success of the Prius encouraged Toyota to provide hybrid options for other models, including the Camry and the Avalon.

Trading

Toyota is listed on the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the Nagoya Stock Exchange.

  • NYSE: TM
  • LSE: TYT
  • TYO: 7203
  • NAG: 7203

Boeing

The Boeing Company designs, makes and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles. They also provide leasing and product support services, and is one of the world´s main defense contractors in the aerospace field.

The Boeing Company is a United States company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois but incorporated in Delaware. Globally, corporation employs over 130,000 individuals.

Boeing was founded by William Boeing in 1916. The present company is the result of Boeing merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing is organized into four primary divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS); Boeing Global Services; and Boeing Capital.

In 2019, Boeing´s reputation – and financial rating – suffered a major blow after two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in late 2018 and early 2019, respectively, prompted the grounding of the 737 MAX. Unsurprisingly, cancellations soon outpaced new orders for the 737 model family.

Boeing has also been negatively impacted by the Covid19 pandemic, which is currently having a major negative effect on parts of the aviation industry. Many air carriers have cancelled their mainline aircraft orders to reduce risk exposure and financial commitments. By July 2020, over 300 Boeing 737 MAX and almost 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft orders had been cancelled.

With the advent of widespread Covid19 vaccinations, the future of the aviation industry is now looking brighter.

The aerospace market

At the time of writing, the estimated worth of the global aerospace services market exceeds 9 trillion USD. On this market, Boeing is one of the main players, with a revenue stream of about 58.2 billion USD. Airbus is a main competitor, with a revenue stream slightly below 50 billion USD. Other examples of notable competitors are Bombardier, Embraer and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).

Trading

  • NYSE: BA
  • LSE: BOE

Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell revenue in 2020: 180.54 billion USD

Royal Dutch Shell oil product revenue in 2020: 134.9 billion USD

Royal Dutch Shell net loss in 2020: -21.5 billion USD

Royal Dutch Shell is an oil and gas company involved along all the supply chain verticals. It is one of the top most profitable oil and gas companies in the world, and is also considered a leading oil and gas company by brand value.

Commonly known simply as Shell, the company was formed through the merger of a British and a Dutch petroleum producer in the early 20th century.

In 2019, Shell´s activities were responsible for roughly 200 metric tons of gas, petroleum and petroleum product spills.

2020 net loss

The Royal Dutch Shell reported a historic net loss of over 20 billion USD in 2020. This loss was brought on by a combination of factors, including reduced transportation fuel demand due to the Covid19 pandemic.

Trading

  • LSE: RDSA
  • Euronext: RDSA
  • NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B
  • PSE: SHLPH