Shares in billionaire Warren Buffet’s retail to railroad conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway have shattered the record £120,000 a share glass ceiling for the first time for any company.
However, Berkshire Hathaway is not the only company to have shares valued in the thousands even though Buffet’s firm is the first to reach so high.
A look at the top 10 valued shares in the world put together by US stock market analysts Standard and Poor’s has more than a few surprises.
Two of the most expensive shares are sports clubs in Chile – an exclusive golf club and a horseracing circuit in the capital Santiago.
The English Premier League’s Arsenal outscores any other soccer club – even world-renowned Manchester United and Real Madrid, with a fortune based mostly on shrewd property development from moving stadiums.
Soccer, golf and chocolate
Lindt Chocolate is one of the few companies that make something on the list – with a share price equivalent to almost 2,000 bars of chocolate.
The two US finance companies are community banks – and again none of the world’s banking or finance giants feature on the list.
The top 10 are:
- Berkshire Hathaway – £121,824 – Conglomerate (USA)
- Bactolac Pharmaceutical – £72,067 – Vitamins (USA)
- Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli – £37,985 – Chocolate (Switzerland)
- Sociedad Anomina de Deportes Club de Golf Santiago – £24,472 – Golf (Chile)
- Country Club of Virginia – £15,014 – Golf (USA)
- Arsenal Holdings – £14,531 – Football (UK)
- South Chester Tube Company – £13,512 – Hardware and fixings (USA)
- Club Hipico de Santiago – £10,370 – Horse racing (Chile)
- Mechanics Bank – £10,209 – Banking (USA)
- Country Bank Holding Company – £9,608 – Banking (USA)
Few are shares that any ordinary investor could afford to buy, and none are really household names that trip of the tongue.
A taste of Warren Buffet
So how did Warren Buffet get to be a billionaire?
Berkshire Hathaway started as an insurance company and the famed investor used the ‘float’ or excess money held in the company’s accounts to cover pay-outs to invest.
Soon, the investments were making more money than the insurance company, so Berkshire Hathaway diversified into buying shares in other companies, then buying whole companies.
Many of the investments are shrouded in secrecy, but Buffet is said to hold major stakes in companies like confectioner Mars, Coca-Cola, clothing firm Fruit of the Loom, Heinz and Wells Fargo.
Past performance may not predict future share prices, but it seems the only way is up for Berkshire Hathaway and new record share prices.
