Through the year, you can always expect stocks to rise and fall. The stock market is constantly moving, and this can drive the prices of stocks up or down.
Other factors might also affect a holding, such as supply and demand, the status of the company itself, and even economical determinants.
But even with market movements, there are some highly-priced stocks out there that just might shock you. Including the most expensive stock in the world that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per share, on average.
There are stocks from all over the world that reach high prices. Some of them barely breach £1,000, while others are much like the dollar amounts we just mentioned.
In this guide, we will review the highest priced stocks from all around the world.
The Highest Priced Stocks
Here is a quick list of the most expensive stocks. Below, we will share more information about each of these.
| Provider | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 2. Lindt and Spruengli AG | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 3. Next Plc | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 4. Seaboard Corporation | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 5. NVR Inc | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 6. Alphabet Inc | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 7. Booking Holdings Inc | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 8. AutoZone | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 9. Markel Corporation | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 10. Chipotle Mexican Grill | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
Keep in mind that while this is the top list, some of these may not stay in the same ranking spot all year long. However, on average, this is approximately where they fall as of the time of this guide.
The stocks at the top of the list don’t have a lot of competition in terms of how expensive they are, so they remain relatively the same. Let’s look more closely at each of these!
1. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
This top stock has been in first place as the most expensive stock in the world for many years. Their prices to change, and which shares you invest in might also affect the cost.
However, on average the prices in 2022 ranged from £248,624 to £420,791. That’s a pretty broad range, but each of those totals is very high.
These prices are for the Class A shares of this US holding company.
Berkshire Hathaway is a financial company located in America. They are known for serving high dollar clients and holdings, but you might also see them in areas like real estate, insurance, media, consumer goods, and more.
This particular fund is a top choice in hedge funds because of the price. Berkshire Hathaway has been around for more than 182 years, with their establishments beginning back in 1839. They have had a very long time to reach the level they are at today.
This company initially was just a simple textile manufacturing company. They still have consumer goods, but they have evolved into so much more than textiles now. No other expensive shares even come close to knocking this company from its pedestal.
Did you know Berkshire Hathaway owns places like BNSF Railway, Dairy Queen, Helzberg Diamonds, GEICO, Fruit of the Loom, and more? It’s no wonder they are at the top, and these examples don’t even touch on their real estate and other markets.
2. Lindt and Spruengli AG
Next up is the only other stock in the world that has breached the £100k mark, aside from cryptocurrency Bitcoin that surprised the world. Lindt and Spruengli averages right around that £80,000 mark, with sometimes closing slightly above or below in the year 2022.
This company is a Switzerland-based candy company. If you see the Lindt chocolates in your store, this is where they come from. Those rich, divine chocolates are certainly impressive. On top of the Lindt brand, this company is the majority shareholder of Russell Stover Candies.
They call into the top 10 of the largest chocolate producing companies in the world.
They have also been around for many years, with 177 years under their belts this year. That’s plenty of time to figure out business, right? They first were founded in 1845, and they are clearly doing something right.
If you look further into this company, you will find that they own more than 410 chocolate stores around the world. The original foundation was in Switzerland, but they are found in many different countries thanks to these holdings. Many of their own chocolates are also sold all over the globe.
They rank in as the second most expensive stock in the world, and while they are quite a way from matching Berkshire Hathaway, they also don’t have much competition for their placement at the top of the list.
3. Next Plc
Next is a retailer that is based directly out of Enderby, Leicestershire. Throughout the UK and Ireland, they have more than 500 stores, but they have a total of 700+ stores when you count other parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East in their numbers.
This company has also seen some major variance in stock prices throughout the year, but the average ranges from £4,500 to £7,000 in 2022. This British company seems to be a popular choice for home products, clothing, and shoes in this part of the world.
They have been around for quite a few years, but they have always been competitive in the retail industry. In 2012, they surpassed Marks & Spencer as far as popularity and sales go, and they have never looked back. They have various branches, because they are in several different platforms.
You might hear of Next Retail, Next Directory, or Next International. These branches are in different spaces. The retail branch is physical stores. Next Directory is a catalogue and website shopping program, where you can access Next brands and products for shopping without having to go to the store.
Then, we have Next International, which are stores located internationally, outside of their traditional parameters. This makes up close to 200 of their stores.
Next also has some of their own brands for products, much like other stores out there. Lipsy is one such brand.
4. Seaboard Corporation
Seaboard Corporation is not your average company that you will find on this list. However, their stock holds pretty steady on an average of £2,000 to £3,700 in the market. This is a shipping and cargo company, and they are a Fortune 500 company with revenues that have closed at more than 5 billion several times.
While they are most known for their ocean transportation capacities, they also are in pork processing and production. These are two very different markets, but they still make up what Seaboard is all about.
In addition, Seaboard has its hand in a lot of commodity areas, including grain processing, sugar production, and electrical power generations. In their cargo ship arm, they have more than 30 container ships to help import and export goods for pay.
What is most interesting about Seaboard Corporation is where their headquarters are. Despite their cargo business and interactive holdings, they are headquartered in Merriam, Kansas.
This is a small, rural town in Kansas with a population of only about 11,000 people.
And yet, here we find the company in the top 5 of the most expensive stocks in the world. That’s pretty amazing! The corporation has more than 20,000 employees, and they take pride in treating them all like family. They may be large, but they believe in community.
Seaboard Corporation also has various operations in more than 45 countries throughout the world. This company started in 1983, so they’ve found themselves at this level in less than 40 years.
5. NVR Inc
NVR and Starboard are very close as far as stock prices are concerned. Remember that we said where these companies fall on the list can vary. It just depends on the market at the time, as well as the company. NVR Inc also traded in the general range of £2,000 to £4,200 throughout 2022.
NVR is an American company that is all about home construction. Within their company, they have brands like Heartland Homes, Ryan Homes, and NVHomes that you may have heard of.
They are the fourth largest home construction company in the US, and yet we don’t see those other construction companies at the top of this list.
Since their beginnings, they have built more than 4 million homes, and counting. This company can also be found on the Fortune 500 list, falling right around the 380th rank on the list back in June of 2022.
NVR was founded by Ryan Homes, which now falls in as one of their brands.
They started up in 1940 as Ryan Homes, but then changed the name to NVR Inc in 1980. At that time, they started developing their brands, and Ryan Homes remained one of them.
NVR Inc just went public on the stock exchanges in 1993. While they have been around much longer than that, they’ve only had public shares available for about 27 years now, which makes their place on this countdown that much more impressive to us.
NVR makes a wide variety of homes, but they are mostly found in the Eastern US. They build condos, duplexes, townhomes, and single-family homes.
6. Alphabet Inc
While Alphabet Inc is not currently one of the highest shares in the market, it certainly has reached incredible heights in 2022.
Throughout the year, it has topped out at close to £2,460 per share. Considering that they went public under the Alphabet name in 2004, and started at just £41 per share, it’s an impressive number.
Alphabet Inc might not sound familiar to you, but we’re guessing you will recognize their holdings.
Google falls under this company, as do branches of Google like Google AdWords, Google Maps, Google fiber, Google Capital, Google Calico, Google Ventures, and more.
They also hold Android, YouTube, and some other big names in the industry.
Alphabet Inc itself began back in 1998. They are an American company, with multinational operations. They are currently the fourth largest company in the world, and they have seen market caps exceeding 1 trillion dollars in 2022.
Talk about astronomical. While Alphabet has been around for all these years, it was just in 2015 that they restructured the company and brought all of the subsidiaries underneath this umbrella. This is perhaps about the time that the stock really started raising up, giving it the momentum to find its way to this list for 2022.
To be fair, there have been times in 2022 where the shares of Alphabet Inc have significantly declined, along with many others out there. But that doesn’t negate what they have accomplished, or where they have stood on this list.
7. Booking Holdings Inc
Have you heard of Priceline? They were this famous online trip booking company. And while you might not be able to find Priceline any more, the company didn’t go anywhere. Instead, now you will see Booking.com, which is this company with a new name.
Booking Holdings was previously the Priceline Group, which was around for close to 20 years. They were famous for their name your price booking options. But in recent years, their focus has shifted heavily to hotel bookings, which is what prompted the name change in 2018.
Now, they are Booking Holdings Inc. Booking Holdings trades for roughly £1,640 per share, which does move up and down, just like any other stock. They are still a reservation website, and they have a unique little niche.
This company is the second largest travel agency brand in the world.
You can book travel in more than 220 countries through Booking Holdings, and they continue to grow their platforms and capabilities. There are hotels, vacation rentals, and other places to stay. They no longer have much sway or focus in transportation and flights, although they did in the past.
Now, while Priceline Group changed their name, you can still find a variety of brands under the Booking Holdings brand. Booking.com is their primary association, but sources like Agoda.com, rentalcars.com, Kayak, and OpenTable are all part of Booking Holdings.
Much like other companies ranked here for the most expensive stocks in 2022, this company can be found on the Fortune 500 list, ranking in at #340 in 2022.
8. AutoZone
If you’re familiar with companies in the US, you likely have heard of AutoZone. This American company has more than 6,000 stores throughout the USA, all of which specialize in auto parts.
These retail stores offer parts, diagnostics, and even some service to help with changing headlights, batteries, and more in the parking lot.
AutoZone has certainly earned a name for themselves, and built quite the company to find their way to this list. While they are primarily in the US, they have had stores in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico as well.
This company rings in with shares that sell close to £1,640 each. Remember this number can fluctuate, but that’s the average that you’re going to find in the market. Just 12 years ago, their stock was priced at only £123, so they have really come a long way over the past decade.
AutoZone got here through hard work and consistency. They have posted growth for many years in a row. The company is worth more than £25 billion and they continue to grow.
They came from simple roots, established just a little over 40 years ago.
This auto parts retailer started with a single store in Arkansas, USA. They continue to hold to a rich culture within their stores. They strive to be active in communities throughout the nation, and provide that extra mile of customer service as well.
There are plenty of other auto part retailers out there, but AutoZone seems to have it figured out. How else would they have reached this spot, or opened up more than 6,000 stores in one country?
9. Markel Corporation
Next up on the list is Markel Corporation. Markel Corporation has some vast holdings, and they are primarily just a holding company for operations that range from insurance to investments. They’ve been publicly traded on the market since about 1986, and they are holding steady.
In 2022, their average trading price was about £985 per share, making them another top stock in the most expensive stocks of 2022. Markel has primarily built their name by acquiring company from different sectors, but staying primarily within the investment and insurance niches.
In 2016, they even found their way onto the Fortune 500 list, and they’ve stayed there ever since. While Markel Corporation was established in the US, they have various holdings and operations that span across almost 20 countries.
Markel was first established in 1930 by a man named Samuel Markel.
He chose to build this business because he couldn’t find an insurance company that truly met his needs. So, he started his own mutual insurance company.
While they are most-known as an insurance company, you will find that they still have a bit of a niche in the market. Where some insurance companies make it impossible to get covered, they want to help the hard to find coverage.
They cover the risks that are harder to place and insure. This includes things like yachts, motorcycles, ATVs, and even pollution. There are plenty more things up their sleeves, but this gives you a good idea. They are the “life savers” in the insurance market, providing coverage in the hardest areas.
10. Chipotle Mexican Grill
Let’s round out this list with a fan favourite restaurant. Chipotle Mexican Grill is an American fast food chain, but they have restaurants in several other countries too.
This includes places like Germany, France, Canada, and the UK. They are a very specialized restaurant option, and absolutely delicious if you ever get the chance to try their food.
Chipotle stock traded for close to £985 on average in 2022. As of 2022, they have more than 2,000 restaurants spread out.
Their offerings include Mission burritos, bowls, tacos, and more. With each of these, you get to create your dish, going down the line to choose your meat (or meat alternative) and toppings.
They create your dish to your specifications.
Everything is prepared right in front of you, but it’s fast-paced so you go through the line, and have your food just as quickly as if you went through a fast food line. This company was founded in 1993, and they’ve been popular and performing ever since.
From their roots, they have grown steadily to where we know them today. If you think about the fact that they are barely 30 years old and have already reached this level, consider what they could still do in the future. Their story certainly isn’t over yet.
Stock Market Fluctuations
While this is the top 10 list, be aware that the list can vary, especially in the lower 5-6 names on the list. Right now, these companies have had stocks that reached high levels in 2022, but it doesn’t mean they can’t move down the list, or even be replaced.
Stock prices vary every single day. It’s nearly impossible to pinpoint a company and say they will hold that spot. Even on our list here, many of these companies trade places in their rankings throughout the year. That’s simply how the stock market works.
That being said, our top 3 companies have remained steadfast in their place for quite some time. While it’s unlikely they will be booted from their positions here anytime soon, it’s not impossible.
How Do You Invest in the Highest Priced Stocks?
The answer is simple. If you want to invest in one of these companies, you need the money to do so. For most of these companies, shares are readily available on the market at any given time.
Whether or not you can buy in always depends on whether there is supply available.
You might also be able to look for minimal shares of these holdings held within popular ETFs and mutual funds to get a piece of the pie.
Conclusion
These are the highest priced stocks on average. Most of these companies have unique stories, and have plenty of history that helped bring them to where they are today. They are steadfast, and their numbers continue to grow, but their place here is not guaranteed.
Which stock surprises you the most?
Related Guides:
