Oil and gas companies top US investors list

Which US companies are betting on America's future? The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) has released a report, US Investment Heroes of 2014: Investing at Home in a Connected World, ranking the top 25 American companies by their capital spending in the United States.

AT&T tops list

For the third year in a row, AT&T was at the top of the Investment Hero list with US$ 20.9 billion in domestic capital spending in 2013, followed by Verizon, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Walmart, Intel, and Comcast.

The report, based on an exclusive PPI methodology, also features a new 3-year cumulative capital expenditure list. The top company, AT&T, invested more than US$ 60 billion in the US over the past three years. The top ten companies combined invested US$ 293 billion in the United States from 2011 to 2013.

Domestic investment

Authored by PPI Chief Economic Strategist Michael Mandel and Economist Diana Carew, the report focuses on identifying the US-based corporations with the highest levels of domestic capital expenditures, as defined by spending on plants, property, and equipment in the United States. PPI believes this report can help inform good public policy for encouraging continued and renewed investment domestically.

"Investment generates jobs, greater productivity, and the higher incomes Americans desire," explained PPI Chief Economic Strategist Michael Mandel. "Companies that invest in the US are creating more opportunities for economic mobility and growth, and our government should implement policies that continue to encourage these companies to invest here at home."

Energy production

Overall, the top 25 ranking contains four telecom and cable companies, with a total of US$ 46 billion in domestic capital spending. The next highest category in terms of investment is energy production and refining, with six companies accounting for a total of US$ 40 billion in domestic capital spending. The third largest category is Internet and technology companies, containing five companies totalling US$ 22.7 billion.

Together, PPI’s 25 Investment Heroes invested more than US$ 152 billion in the United States in 2013, with the top ten companies alone investing almost US$ 100 billion of the total.

Top 25

1. AT&T - US$ 20.9 billion
2. Verizon Communications - US$ 15.4 billion
3. Exxon Mobil - US$ 11.1 billion
4. Chevron - US$ 10.6 billion
5. Walmart - US$ 8.7 billion
6. Intel - US$ 8.4 billion
7. Comcast - US$ 6.6 billion
8. ConocoPhillips - US$ 6.3 billion
9. Occidental Petroleum - US$ 5.5 billion
10. Exelon - US$ 5.4 billion
11. Duke Energy - US$ 4.8 billion
12. Google – US$ 4.7 billion
13. General Motors - US$ 4.6 billion
14. Hess - US$ 3.9 billion
15. Apple - US$ 3.8 billion
16. Energy Transfer Equity - US$ 3.5 billion
17. Union Pacific - US$ 3.5 billion
18. Enterprise Products Partners - US$ 3.4 billion
19. Ford Motor - US$ 3.4 billion
20. General Electric- US$ 3.3 billion
21. Time Warner Cable - US$ 3.2 billion
22. FedEx - US$ 3.2 billion
23. Microsoft - US$ 3.0 billion
24. Freeport McMoRan - US$ 2.7 billion
25. Amazon - US$ 2.6 billion

A copy of the report can be found at PPI's website.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/12092014/oil-and-gas-companies-in-top-25-us-investors-list-1448/