In this article, we rank the top 20 Companies in Australia in 2021 based on their market capitalization. These are the Best Australian companies of 2021. Australia is a developed country and has been placed at 12th position in the world based on a high-income economy and 10th place based on the highest per-capita income.
The country ranks at a higher position in terms of financial situation, health, quality of life, civil liberties, economic freedom and education compared to other countries.
The Australian economy is dependent upon its industries like banking, financial services, investment research, capital solutions, real estate, health care, telecommunications, manufacturing, mining-related exports and international education to generate income and become one of the leading economies in the world.
Table of Contents
The top 20 companies in Australia in 2021 based on the market cap are as follows
1. BHP Group
With a market capitalization of 183.17 billion US dollars and a market value of 165 billion US dollars, the BHP Group has established itself as the top Australian company in 2021. It posted its revenues and net income at 42.931 billion US dollars and 8.736 billion US dollars respectively for the year 2020
BHP Group is an Anglo-Australian company associated with the mining, metals and petroleum industry in a broad range of commodities like iron ore, gold and coal. The global giant is one of the largest companies and operates from headquarters in Melbourne, Australia with help of 80,000+ employees in 2021.
The company is ranked at 93rd position as the largest publicly listed company in the 2020 Forbes Global 2000 list and has been trading at high stock prices on the Australian Securities Exchange as well as London Stock Exchange.
2. Commonwealth Bank of Australia
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is the second-largest company and the largest bank in Australia in 2021 based on a market cap of 137.93 billion US dollars and is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. With a world ranking of 111 and a market value of 112 billion US dollars in January 2021, the Commonwealth Bank has posted its revenues and net income at 30.16 billion US dollars and 9.63 billion US dollars respectively for the fiscal year 2020.
As the name suggests The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is associated with banking and financial services like investment banking, business banking, finance and insurance, asset management and consumer banking. As one of the largest bank, it serves its customers in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Asia through 1100+ branches and 4300+ ATMs.
3. Transurban
The Australian company Transurban with a market capitalization of 117.81 billion US dollars is considered one of the largest toll-road operators in the world and the third-largest company in Australia. It is associated with the infrastructure and development industry and deals in designing, building, managing and developing the urban network of toll roads.
The Australian company is also involved in the R&D of road and vehicle safety technology and a new mode of toll payment to ensure long-lasting benefits to the cities and the citizens. Founded in the year 1999, Transurban has spread its presence to United States, Canada and Australia
4. CSL Limited
With a market cap of 101.83 billion US dollars and a market value of 99.060 billion US dollars, the biotechnology company CSL Limited has become the fourth largest company in Australia. The company has posted a net profit of 1,810 million dollars after tax for half-year ending 31st December 2020 and that is an up of 44%.
Founded in the year 1916 this iconic brand is associated with the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. CSL Limited is involved in the marketing, manufacturing, developing and researching aspects of medical products, lab products, anti-venom, vaccines and blood plasma derivatives.
5. Westpac Banking Corp
Westpac Banking Corp is the second-largest financial services and banking company and fifth largest overall company in Australia in 2021 based on the market cap of 74.01 billion US dollars and a market value of 60.604 billion US dollars.
Established in 1817 and based in Sydney, Westpac is the oldest financial services and one of the largest bank in Australia that offers services in the Pacific region, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. The company posted annual revenue and annual net income of 19.89 billion AUD and 2.28 billion AUD for September ending 2020
6. National Australia Bank
National Australia Bank has the distinction of being the third-largest bank in Australia and 6th overall company based on its market cap of 69.02 billion US dollars and market value of 55.267 billion US dollars.
The National Australia Bank offers financial services and deals in business, wholesale and consumer banking along with insurance, institutional banking, asset management and wealth management posted its annual revenue and net income of 17.261 billion AUD and 2.559 billion AUD for the year ending 2020.
7. ANZ Banking Bank
Another bank that has entered the list of largest Australian companies is the fourth largest bank of Australia The ANZ Banking Group based on its market capitalization of 63.32 billion US dollars and a market value of 48.848 billion US dollars.
Founded in the year 1951 ANZ Banking Group is the 2nd and 3rd largest bank in Australia based on assets and market cap respectively and the largest in New Zealand. The multinational financial services company has posted its annual revenue and annual net income at 17.54 billion AUD and 3.57 billion AUD for the year ending September 2020.
8. Atlassian
The first software company that has entered the list of top 20 Australian companies is none other than Atlassian with a market capitalization of 57.98 billion US dollars. For the year ending 31st March 2021, it posted annual revenue of 1.960 billion dollars and it was an up of 29.1% and an employee count of 6117 for Q3 Fiscal year 2021.
Founded in the year 2002, Atlassian develops products like Bamboo, Trello, Jira and Confluence for project managers, software developers and software development teams. The company operates only through its partner channels and website.
9. Fortescue Metals Group
Fortescue Metals Group is the 4th largest producer of iron ore in the world and with a holding of 87,000+ km square is the largest tenement holder. Founded in the year 2003 the company serves a worldwide area with more than 11,000 employees.
Fortescue Metals Group is associated with the metals and mining industry and deals in lithium, copper, gold, steel and iron ore. With a market cap of 52.67 billion US dollars and revenues of 17.62 billion AUD, it has attracted lots of investors from all around the world as one of the largest Australian companies. A huge surge in its earnings has encouraged Fortescue to dole out a dividend of 1.47 AUD per share to its shareholders and it is at a 93% high from another corresponding period
10. Wesfarmers
The conglomerate Wesfarmers operates in fertilizer, chemical, retail, industrial and safety products. With revenues of 30.8 billion AUD, it is considered the largest Australian companies by revenues in Australia and has a market cap of 48.72 billion US dollars and a market value of 43.937 billion US dollars.
Wesfarmers was founded as a cooperative in 1914 and with time has become one of the largest retail conglomerates. It is currently Australia’s largest private employer with more than 107,000+ employees
11. Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group is associated with retailing industry and has interests in both Australia and New Zealand. With a market capitalization of 41.11 billion US dollars and a market value of 38.175 billion US dollars, the Woolworths Group has become the largest company by revenue in Australia and second-largest in New Zealand.
The Woolworths Group operates through divisions like Woolworths Online, Supermarkets and General Merchandise and offers food, liquor, accommodations and gaming experiences in 3000+ stores to more than 29 million customers. Although the company saw a rough patch in 2016 it has bounced back strongly with annual revenue and net income for the fiscal year 2020 at 63.67 billion AUD and 1.602 billion AUD respectively
12. Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group is a global company with 16000+ employees and operations in 32 markets. With a market capitalization of 40.91 billion US dollars and a market value of 38.534 billion US dollars, it is the largest independent investment firm in its country and is often referred to as the Millionaire’s Factory.
With 563.5 billion AUD assets under management, the multinational bank and financial services company is ranked at first position as an infrastructure asset management company and is also an advisor of mergers and acquisitions. Macquarie Group posted annual revenue and net income for the fiscal year 2020 at 5.837 billion AUD and 1.859 billion AUD
13. Telstra Corp
With a market capitalization of 32.12 billion US dollars and a market value of 27.250 billion US dollars, the publicly listed company Telstra Corp is the largest telecommunications company in Australia based on market share. It has more than 18.8 million subscribers and 28,959 employees by the end of 2020 and has the distinction of being the largest wireless carrier in its country
Founded in the year 1975 the Telstra Corp operates and builds market products and services and telecommunication networks for pay television, internet access, mobile and voice. It has recently been associated with emerging technologies and diversified products. The company posted annual revenue and annual net income for June-end 2020 at 26.2 billion AUD and 1.81 billion AUD respectively
14. Afterpay
Afterpay is a financial technology company that has spread its presence to Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. With a market cap of 21.13 billion US dollars and a user count of 7.3 + million in 2020, it has easily entered the list of the top 20 leading companies in Australia
The USP of Afterpay is the “pay-later” services that allow online and in-store customers to pay for a product later within two weeks in an equal four repayment scheme. The company also offers special deals with partner brands to lure in new customers and keep the existing ones happy
15. Aristocrat
Aristocrat Leisure Limited is a global games powerhouse that operates in 90+ countries with licensed 300 gaming jurisdictions. Founded in 1953, the company is also associated with linked jackpot systems, electronic table game, card game simulations and computerized gambling systems.
With a market cap of 20.50 billion US dollars and a market value of 15.220 billion US dollars, it is the largest manufacturer of gambling machine in Australia and the second-largest slot machines in the world.
16. Newcrest Mining
With a market cap of 17.73 billion US dollars and a market value of 16.185 billion US dollars, Newcrest Mining Company is one of the largest companies in the world associated with gold mining.
The mining company is involved in mining, developing, exploring and selling gold and copper and operates in places like Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Canada.
17. Coles group
Coles Group is associated with the consumer staples industry through its retail chain and subsidiaries. It primarily deals in food, groceries, liquor and petrol. With a market cap of 17.14 billion US dollars and a market value of 18.604 billion US dollars, it is the second-largest retailer based on revenues in Australia
Coles operates through its 2500+ outlets and has posted its annual revenue and annual net income at 37,784 million AUD and 978 million AUD respectively as of June-2020.
18. REA Group
With a market capitalization of 16.81 billion US dollars and a market value of 15.121 billion US dollars, the REA group has emerged as a great start-up success story of Australia. Founded in the year 1995 in a garage it has now spread its operations with 19000+ agents in 10 countries with 8.8 million monthly unique visitors.
REA Group is associated with the internet content and information industry and deals in the communication services sector. It is a real estate online advertising company operating the largest property website in Australia. The company posted annual revenue for the fiscal year 2020 at 820.3 million AUD
19. Woodside Petroleum
Woodside Petroleum is the largest oil and gas production company in Australia that is associated with petroleum exploration and production. The company also deals in natural gas exploration and generation, oil and gas and energy.
Founded in the year 1954 it operates from its base in Perth in countries like Australia, Ireland, Gabon, Cameroon, New Zealand, United States and Canada. With a market cap of 16.48 billion US dollars and a market value of 16.823 billion US dollars, it has become a force to reckon with in the Australian economy
20. Sonic Healthcare
With a market cap of 12.87 billion US dollars and a market value of 11.811 billion US dollars, Sonic Healthcare is the largest diagnostic company in Australia. It has the distinction of being the leading provider of the medical laboratory in Europe and Australasia and the third-largest provider in the United States.
Founded in 1967 the company has spread its presence to several countries like Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and New Zealand etc. It is associated with Health – Medical Diagnostics and provides radiology, pathology and laboratory services. Sonic Healthcare has posted its annual revenue and annual net income at 6,782 million AUD and 527.7 million AUD respectively for the year ending June-2020.
Conclusion
The Largest companies in Australia have made it possible for the country to stand tall amongst all the developing nations of the world. The top twenty companies belonging to different sectors have made it possible to have an economic portfolio that is envied by one and all
