Apple Has Largest Cash Stockpile, Twice That Of Microsoft’s
Apple ( AAPL ) continues to reign as the Scrooge McDuck of the corporate world, keeping a virtual treasure vault of gold coins that it can swim in. Apple accounted for $215.7 billion, or 12.8%, of total corporate cash in 2015, Moody’s Investors Service reported Friday. That’s up from $178 billion, or 10.7%, in 2014, and $159 billion, or 9.7%, in 2013. The top five U.S. companies stockpiling cash, all tech companies, collectively held $504 billion, or 30% of the total corporate cash balance among non-financial companies. That’s up from $440 billion, or 27%, in 2014 and $404 billion, or 25%, in 2013. The top five are: Apple, Microsoft ( MSFT ), Google parent Alphabet ( GOOGL ), Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) and Oracle ( ORCL ). U.S. non-financial companies rated by Moody’s held $1.68 trillion in cash at the end of 2015, up 1.8% from $1.65 trillion at the end of 2014. But much of the cash is parked overseas, and U.S. companies are reluctant to bring it home, lest they face stiff tax penalties. Overseas cash is estimated at $1.2 trillion, or 72% of total cash. That’s up from $1.1 trillion, or 64% of cash in 2014, and $950 billion, or 58% of total cash, in 2013. Technology, health care/pharmaceuticals, consumer products and energy are the most cash-flush industries, with $1.3 trillion, or 71%, of the corporate cash total. The tech sector has the largest cash pile, at $777 billion, or 46%, of the total, Moody’s said. Microsoft, the second-most cash-rich company in the U.S., had $102.6 billion, less than half of Apple’s total. Alphabet came in third with $73.1 billion, followed by Cisco ($60.4 billion) and Oracle ($52.3 billion). Apple shares ended Friday trades up 1.1%. Microsoft and Alphabet finished the day up less than 1% on the stock market today . Cisco and Oracle each climbed 1.5%.