Samsung has 5th biggest market cap

Samsung Electronics is the fifth most valuable firm among its global peers in terms of market capitalization, data showed yesterday.

The total market cap of the world’s second-largest mobile phone maker stood at $136.9 billion as of last Friday, only trailing Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Google, according to the data compiled by local financial sources.

Samsung’s market cap surpassed that of Oracle, the world’s No. 2 software firm, by $5.9 billion.

Oracle’s market cap was $30 billion bigger than Samsung’s at the end of last year.

Samsung also outstripped Intel by $12 billion, widening its distance from the world’s No. 1 chipmaker from $6 billion from a year earlier.

Samsung Electronics’ rise in market cap came on the back of brisk growth in its smartphone business and strong earnings.

Its net profit reached the forecast-beating 3.44 trillion won ($3.09 billion) in the third quarter of the year and it is expecting a record-high operating profit of nearly 20 trillion won for 2012.

Its stock price has settled above the 1 million won mark since Nov. 29. It finished at 1,073,000 won per share yesterday.

Samsung’s share recovered the 1 million won per share mark on Nov. 29.

Meanwhile, Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor also saw its market cap rise 20 percent to $41.2 billion, ranking fifth in the world ahead of General Motor.

Top steelmaker Posco has remained the top cap in the global steel industry after beating world No. 1 ArcelorMittal in August, according to the data.

Yonhap