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One of These Things Is Not Like the Others: Facebook Edition

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Facebook, on the day of its somewhat rocky Internet debut at $38, traded in the range of $40 a share. This gave the company a market valuation of $112 billion. Few newborns emerge that size – and even fewer mature companies get there. Facebook is playing in the big leagues. Here’s a list of the market values of some Very Important Companies that have been in business for decades. See how they compare to Facebook.

  • Google: Market value $200 billion; 2011 revenue $37.9 billion

  • JP Morgan Chase: Market value $127 billion; 2011 revenue $99.8 billion

  • Verizon: Market value $117 billion; 2011 revenue $110.9 billion 

  • Merck: Market value $115 billion; 2011 sales $48 billion

  • GlaxoSmithKline: $112 billion; 2011 sales $44 billion

  • Facebook: Market value $112 billion; 2011 revenue $3.7 billion

  • Anheuser-Busch: Market value $111 billion; 2011 revenue $39 billion

  • PepsiCo: Market value $109 billion; 2011 revenue $66.5 billion 

  • McDonald’s: Market value $91 billion; 2011 revenue $27 billion

  • Cisco Systems: Market value $89 billion; 2011 sales $10.4 billion

Now, isn’t that interesting?