One Investor Is The Largest Owner Of Two-Thirds Of U.S. Companies (2024)

Want to know who owns Corporate America? It's not Bill Gates or Elon Musk. It's Vanguard.

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Thanks to the surging popularity of its index funds, Vanguard is now the No. 1 owner of 330 stocks in the S&P 500, or two-thirds of the world's most important collection of stocks, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSmith. No other investor comes remotely close. BlackRock (BLK) is a remote second-top owner, ranking as the No. 1 investor in just 38 S&P 500 companies.

This fact underscores just how powerful the ETF and mutual fund powerhouse has become in markets. Its inflow of funds from investors stand to sway markets miles beyond most other forces.

"BlackRock plus Vanguard consistently take in about 64% of all the cash which is in line with their (asset under management) market share, said Eric Balchunas, ETF senior analyst at Bloomberg. "(And there's) no slowing down the duopoly despite the onslaught of competition from some pretty massive companies."

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Vanguard And The Dwarfs

It's hard to understate just how much of a force Vanguard is in markets. The ETF market shows its dominance the most clearly.

So far this year, investors poured $124.3 billion into Vanguard ETFs, or more than a third of the total, Balchunas says. BlackRock is second with inflows of just $89.6 billion, or 27%. And that's just in ETFs. Keep in mind Vanguard is also the largest provider of mutual funds.

All told Vanguard controls total assets of $4.6 trillion, or 26.4% of the fund family universe, Morningstar says. That's No. 1 by far. Fidelity is a distant No. 2 in terms of total fund assets at $2.3 trillion, or 12.9% of the total.

Vanguard's dominance is putting it into an extreme position of power at many S&P 500 companies.

Where Vanguard Places Its Biggest Bets

Thanks to Vanguard's massive asset base, it's the voice that matters most among investors. And it holds huge sway in the real-estate sector. All 10 of the companies Vanguard holds the largest positions in are in the real estate sector.

The fund company owns 15% or larger stakes of more than 20 companies in the S&P 500. Its very top position based on the percentage of company owned is real estate firm CBRE Group (CBRE). Vanguard owns nearly 17% of the company. BlackRock is the No. 2 holder with 10.2% of the company. The stock, this year, though hasn't worked out all that well for Vanguard. Shares of the company are down 20% this year.

CBRE, though, is a classic type of stock institutions like. It's in the relatively stable commercial real estate business. The company's profit is expected to rise every year from 2022 through 2026. This year, profit is seen rising more than 8% to $6.29 a share. Analysts rate the stock an outperform. They think the stock will be worth 100.63 a share in 12 months, or nearly 16% more than it is now.

Vanguard is also the biggest wheel at Extra Space Storage (EXR). The fund company owns 16.7% of the real estate firm. It's also an institutional style company like CBRE. The Salt Lake City real estate company runs nearly 2,000 self-storage centers in 40 U.S. states. It's a steady-as-it-goes business, too. Profit is seen rising every year from 2022 through 2025. And the stock is holding up better than many. It's down just 6.8% on the year and yields 2.9%.

Is Vanguard always right? Not even close. But when the market has a participant of this size, you need to pay attention to it.

S&P 500 Companies Vanguard Owns The Most Of

CompanySymbolVanguard's % ownedStock YTD % ch.Sector
CBRE Group (CBRE)16.9%-19.7%Real Estate
Extra Space Storage (EXR)16.7-6.7Real Estate
Iron Mountain (IRM)16.63.1Real Estate
Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA)16.4-18.2Real Estate
Essex Property Trust (ESS)16.3-15.8Real Estate
AvalonBay Communities (AVB)16.3-13.6Real Estate
Weyerhaeuser (WY)16.3-10.5Real Estate
Host Hotels & Resorts (HST)16.312.0Real Estate
Ventas (VTR)16.32.4Real Estate
SBA Communications (SBAC)16.3-10.1Real Estate
Sources: IBD, S&P Global Market Intelligence
Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter @mattkrantz

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One Investor Is The Largest Owner Of Two-Thirds Of U.S. Companies (2024)

FAQs

One Investor Is The Largest Owner Of Two-Thirds Of U.S. Companies? ›

It's Vanguard. Thanks to the surging popularity of its index funds, Vanguard is now the No. 1 owner of 330 stocks in the S&P 500, or two-thirds of the world's most important collection of stocks, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSmith.

Who owns most of the US stock market? ›

The richest Americans own the vast majority of the US stock market, according to Fed data. The top 10% of Americans held 93% of all stocks, the highest level ever recorded. Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of Americans held just 1% of all stocks in the third quarter of 2023.

Who are the biggest owners of corporate America? ›

The fast-growing index sector, on the other hand, is highly concentrated. It is dominated by just three giant American asset managers: BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street – what we call the Big Three. Lower fees aside, the rise of index funds has entailed a massive concentration of corporate ownership.

Who owns the most stock in a company? ›

A majority shareholder owns and controls more than 50% of a company's outstanding shares. This type of shareholder is often company founders or their descendants.

Who is the number 1 investor? ›

Warren Buffet

Warren Buffett is widely considered the greatest investor in the world. Born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett began investing at a young age and became the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the world's largest and most successful investment firms.

Who is the biggest investor in us? ›

According to data from the U.S. International Trade Administration, the main investing countries in the U.S. are Japan (USD 721 billion), Canada (USD 607.2 billion), Germany (USD 498.6 billion), and the United Kingdom (USD 439 billion), with Europe as a whole accounting for USD 2.8 trillion.

Who are the US largest investors? ›

Together, Japan, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom provide more than half of all foreign direct investment in the United States.

Who are the Big 3 passive investors? ›

A robust literature describes the incentives and stewardship practices of the “Big Three” asset managers (BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors), often referring to these asset managers as “passive.” This is so common that the “Big Three,” “index fund,” and “passive manager” are used almost ...

Who are the big three investors? ›

Using the Big Three as shorthand for BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors obscures differences and creates misunderstandings about the market. Investors and academics have often referred to BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors as the Big Three asset managers.

Who are the big three stock owners? ›

Within the world of corporate governance, there has hardly been a more important recent development than the rise of the 'Big Three' asset managers—Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors, and BlackRock.

Who owns 90% of the stock market? ›

The top 10% own 88.6% of stocks ($28 trillion). Americans in the 50th to 90th percentile of wealth own 10.8% of stocks ($3.4 trillion). Americans in the bottom 50% own 0.6% of stocks ($19 billion).

Who really owns Vanguard? ›

Vanguard set out in 1975 under a radical ownership structure that remains unique in the asset management industry. Our company is owned by its member funds, which in turn are owned by fund shareholders.

Who owns 80% of stock? ›

Older Americans Now Own 80% of the Stock Market — Here's Why That's a Problem. Americans 55 and older have a large and growing share of stock ownership, and that could prove to be a major problem for the market in the event of a downturn.

Is Elon Musk an investor? ›

In 2004, Musk became an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. (later Tesla, Inc.). He became the company's chairman and product architect, assuming the position of CEO in 2008.

Who owns BlackRock? ›

BlackRock's largest institutional shareholders are Vanguard Group, BlackRock Fund Advisors, State Street Global Advisors, Temasek Holdings, and Bank of America. The company's largest individual shareholders include original BlackRock owners and founders Larry Fink and Susan L. Wagner, Robert S.

Who is the richest investor ever? ›

1. Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is the CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and he is one of the Top 10 Richest Investors in the World. His success can be seen through his unique strategies and approaches to investing.

Who is the stock market king of America? ›

Warren Edward Buffett (/ˈbʌfɪt/ BUF-it; born August 30, 1930) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who currently serves as the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is one of the best-known investors in the world.

How much of the stock market is owned by BlackRock? ›

According to the latest figures, BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street collectively own a significant percentage of the S&P 500. As of the end of 2021, BlackRock owned approximately 11% of the index, Vanguard owned approximately 10%, and State Street owned approximately 7%.

Who controls US stocks? ›

Stock Market Regulation in the US

The primary regulator is the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stock exchanges are run by their organizations, The Securities and Exchange Commission is in charge of them (SEC).

Who is the No 1 stock broker in us? ›

The big four brokerage firms in the U.S. are Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, E*TRADE, and Vanguard. That's based on the sizes of their customer numbers and assets under management.

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