FAANG Stocks: Definition and Companies Involved

what is a faang

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Given the immense market capitalization of FAANG stocks, even slight financial perturbations can have significant ramifications on broader market indices. The FAANG stocks are all easy to acquire, in the sense that they are publicly traded companies with substantial daily trading volumes. They are also routinely included in popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, investors who believe that the FAANG stocks may be overvalued would argue that they are difficult to acquire at an economical price. These investors may be tempted to delay purchasing FAANG stocks, waiting for their valuations to decline. SmartAsset Advisors, LLC (“SmartAsset”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Financial Insight Technology, is registered with the U.S.

  1. Ask a question about your financial situation providing as much detail as possible.
  2. As blue-chip stocks, they’re perceived as stable, reliable, and less volatile than their lesser-known counterparts, attracting a broad spectrum of investors.
  3. Someone on our team will connect you with a financial professional in our network holding the correct designation and expertise.
  4. Representing approximately 15% of the S&P 500, these tech giants have become key indicators of the US economy’s status.

Since each of the FAANG stocks are traded on the NASDAQ and are included in the S&P 500, and because the S&P is a broad representation of the market, the movement of the market mirrors the index’s movement. All combined, the FAANGs have accumulated 8.4 trillion dollars worth of market value as of August 2023, making FAANG members one of the most popular stocks on the market. However, their prominence also exposes them to potential risks, 7 phases of software development life cycle infographic such as market sentiment-driven volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and challenges from the competitive landscape. By understanding balance sheets, earnings reports, and industry trends, investors can make informed decisions, selecting which FAANG stock aligns with their investment goals.

The main attraction of buying FAANG stocks is their immense growth potential and their dominance in their respective markets. These characteristics have made these companies cash machines that never stop. Apple’s stock-market value briefly rose above $3 trillion in January 2022, making it the biggest listed company in the world. Following its 2021 name change – a result of Zuckerberg shifting the company’s strategic focus to the Metaverse – the stock shed roughly 70% of its value. Realizing he needed to make a major change, Zuckerberg refocused the company on cutting costs and bolstering its social media properties as well as its AI capabilities. Meta even launched a rival to Twitter – or X – which is called Threads.

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Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice – straight to your e-mail. Some of the company initials that make up the acronym are no longer correct. Google’s parent company changed its name to Alphabet in October 2015, although it still trades under the ticker symbols GOOG and GOOGL. Over the past 10 years, all of the MAMAA stocks have significantly outperformed the S&P 500. Streaming video platform Netflixis the only original FANG member not included in the MAMAA group. Ask a question about your financial situation providing as much detail as possible.

Among the FAANG stocks, Alphabet has the most attractive relative valuation, trading at a  price-to-earnings ratio at about 29. The company continues to add features to its Bard chatbot and integrate its generative AI technologies across its other  apps. The fact is that Alphabet has some big-time advantages like its thousands of talented engineers and massive troves of data. One potentially-cheaper way to invest in FAANG stocks is by buying call options on them, but it’s good to make sure that you understand the ins and outs of options trading before attempting this. If you’ve been investing for a few years, you may have heard of FANG or FAANG stocks — and you may be wondering if those terms are still used. Given the influence of tech across industries and the recent string of IPOs, maybe there will be a new acronym in the near future.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)

The company joined the ranks in 2017, reflecting the growth of internet services (iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay) to its revenues. The five MAMAA stocks have a combined market cap of more than $10 trillion. As of March 2024, the S&P 500’s total market cap was about $44 trillion, meaning these five stocks alone accounted for more than 22% of the entire index’s weighting.

However, the stock is commonly grouped with Facebook, Apple and Alphabet (Google) under the acronym FAAMG, which represents the largest publicly traded tech stocks based on market capitalization. Apple’s main strength is its ubiquitous iPhone which makes up the major portion of its sales. Apple made about $366 billion in total revenue in the financial year that ended on Sept. 30, 2021, with iPhones making up about 33% of the total sales. That revenue mix, however, is changing fast as the biggest FAANG stock by market cap tries to sell more of its services which offer higher margins.

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what is a faang

As they venture into newer territories, from AI to virtual realities, their growth trajectories seem upward, making them attractive to growth-centric investors. Being giants in the tech arena, FAANG companies often find themselves under the regulatory microscope. Its original content, from series to documentaries, sets trends, sparks debates, and represents a new wave in the entertainment industry. The allure of a half-eaten apple, the basics of currency trading symbolizing the brand Apple, encapsulates its trajectory – one that’s always pushing boundaries. Its vision of a ‘metaverse’ – a collective virtual shared space, takes digitization a leap further, aiming to revolutionize how humans interact in the virtual realm.

If FAANG stock is too expensive for your investment portfolio, you may consider buying fractional shares. Certain brokerages will allow you to buy fractions of full shares. Alternatively, you can also buy funds that offer exposure to these company stocks.

List of FAANG stocks (plus Microsoft)

In the latest quarter, the company reported nearly $32 billion in revenue, up 11% on a year-over-year basis, while net income rose 16% to $7.8 billion. Investing in big tech stocks isn’t always easy because the shares aren’t cheap. The lowest-priced member of the FAANG/FAAMG group, Alphabet, was trading at nearly $100 per share at the time of writing. The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes forex back office software providers fx crm and back office systems only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments. Obviously, past performance is no guarantee of future results, but these stocks have continuously proven themselves over the past ten years.

The tech giants make up a sizable portion of the S&P 500 index, which means many investors already have at least some exposure to them. Because of the heavy weighting of FAANG stocks in indexes such as the S&P 500, it’s worthwhile for investors to learn a bit more about them. Working with an adviser may come with potential downsides such as payment of fees (which will reduce returns).

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They also led the stock market’s rebound during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. While historical growth isn’t a clear predictor of future growth, it does appear these tech stocks will continue to have a broad influence over the market in general, given their substantial presence in the S&P 500. NerdWallet, Inc. is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only.

Your information is kept secure and not shared unless you specify. Our mission is to empower readers with the most factual and reliable financial information possible to help them make informed decisions for their individual needs. At Finance Strategists, we partner with financial experts to ensure the accuracy of our financial content. Unfortunately, the seemingly unstoppable ascension of FAANG stocks may have to come to an end. FAANG companies, while dominant, operate in competitive landscapes.

FAANG companies’ dominance in major US indices is likely to remain unchallenged for many years to come. Meta is the largest social media company in the world, operating four of the five most widely used social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. For investors, it’s almost impossible to ignore FAANG stocks that have been ruling the market for over a decade.