most profitable companies in the world

 Most profitable companies

Apple (AAPL)

Net income from continuing operations in 2014: $39.5 billion

Total revenue: 182.8 billion USD

Sector: Hardware, Storage and Peripherals

Headquarters: USA

Apple is the largest multinational corporation with the most spectacular growth on this list.

In 2004, the company’s net operating income was $276 million. By 2014, this figure had grown to $29.5 billion.

Recently, Apple’s revenue and most profitable companies growth has mainly been driven by-products including iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Apple sold 47.5 million iPhones, 10.9 million iPads, and nearly 4.8 million MacBook’s. This significantly contributed to pushing the company’s revenue to nearly 40 billion USD.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM)

Net income from continuing operations in 2014: $33.6 billion

Total revenue: 369.4 billion USD

Sector: Oil and synthetic gas

Headquarters: USA

From a small company founded in 1870, today Exxon Mobil has become the largest oil and gas company in the world.It is also the second-largest company with business continuity earnings in the US, behind only Apple.

Exxon Mobil’s revenue and profit are significantly affected by oil prices. The company’s latest quarterly report showed that, due to the drop in crude oil prices, Exxon’s profit also fell 52%, to $ 4.2 billion.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Net income from continuing operations in 2014: $21.4 billion

Total revenue: 188.9 billion USD

Headquarters: Korea

Sector: Hardware, Storage and Peripherals

Samsung is currently the most profitable company in Korea with a 2014 operating income of nearly $21.4 billion. Samsung’s smartphone lines are a direct competitor to Apple’s iPhone right in the US market.

In fact, according to several market research firms, Samsung’s phones outsold the iPhone in the US early last year. However, since the beginning of this year, Apple’s sales of the iPhone 6 have outperformed sales of Samsung Galaxy. This makes Samsung’s revenue only 21.4 billion USD, down nearly 35% compared to 2014.

Although the market share in the smartphone segment has decreased, Samsung is still a major phone manufacturer in the world. Not only phones, but this company also manufactures televisions, home appliances, computers, cameras…

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A)

Net income from ongoing operations in 2014: $20.2 billion

Total revenue: 189.7 billion USD

Headquarters: USA

Domain: Finance

Berkshire Hathaway is the flagship company of famous investor Warren Buffett. This unit owns several small companies including Buffalo News, Nebraska Furniture Mart. Publicly traded companies owned by Berkshire also include Wells Fargo, IBM, and American Express.

 

For the most recent fiscal year, Berkshire Hathaway’s earnings of the most profitable companies surpassed $20 billion. This makes billionaire Warren Buffett’s business one of only four companies with revenue over $20 billion.

Chevron Corporation (CVX)

Continuing operating income: $19.3 billion

Total revenue: 192.3 billion USD

Headquarters: USA

Petroleum sector

Chevron ranks third on the Fortune 500 list, right behind Exxon Mobil and ahead of Berkshire Hathaway. Falling oil prices have taken a toll on the company’s profits. Although Chevron’s new slogan is towards clean energy as “the energy power of mankind”. However, this company still mainly produces and exploits oil and natural gas.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TM)

Continuing operating income: $19.2 billion

Total revenue: $227.0 billion

Headquarters: Japan

Sector: Manufacturing and assembling automobiles

Toyota is one of the three largest car companies in the world, behind only General Motors (GM) and Volkswagen (VW). In the last financial year, according to Toyota, “consolidated vehicle sales reached 8,971,864 units, down 144,169 units from the previous fiscal year”. North America remains Toyota’s largest market, with vehicle sales of 2,715,173 units, followed by Japan’s domestic market with 2,153,694 units.

 

Toyota is run by Akio Toyoda, a descendant of the Toyoda family, who founded the company in 1937.

Petro China Co. Ltd (PTR)

Continuing operating income: $19.2 billion

Total revenue: 368.1 billion USD

Head office: China.

Petroleum sector

Petro China, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is controlled by the China National Petroleum Corporation.

Due to the drop in crude oil prices over the past few years, Petro China has also been affected. A barrel of oil currently costs. About $50, halving from $100 at the end of June 2014. Perhaps because of that, Petro China’s profit is also only $19 billion, down more than 22% compared to 2013.

China Mobile Limited (SEHK: 941)

Continuing operating income: $17.6 billion

Total revenue: 103.4 billion USD

Head office: Hong Kong

Domain: Mobile

China Mobile is the largest mobile service provider in the world’s most populous mobile market. The company offers both 3G and 4G services in China with 820 million customers as of the end of August

The company also has a service agreement with Apple. China Mobile needs the most profitable companies iPhone to keep up with its two smaller competitors, China Unicom and China Telecom, both of which support the iPhone.Apple needs China Mobile because the American giant has bet all its future growth on the Chinese market.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)

Continuing Operating Income: $16.8 billion

Total revenue: 485.7 billion USD

Headquarters: USA

Sector: Retail

Although Wal-Mart is the world’s largest company by revenue, it only ranks 9th in terms of profit.

It was also heavily competed with by other major retailers, like Target and Costco, and a variety of smaller retailers, such as JC Penney, Sears, and Kmart.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

Continuing operating income: $16.3 billion

Total revenue: 74.3 billion USD

Headquarters: USA

Sector: Pharmaceuticals

Three brothers, Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson, founded the Johnson & Johnson company in 1886. By providing professional medical products to cut prescription drugs. Currently, Johnson & Johnson owns many famous brands such as Listerine, Band-Aid, Tylenol, and Motrin.

The drugs of this company are mainly focused on the prevention and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

Johnson & Johnson said its revenue reached $74.3 billion in fiscal 2014, the smallest scale of any. The only pharmaceutical company on the list had a profit of about $16.3 billion in 2014.