The Swiss stock market followed the upward trend of the global stock markets last year and was able to develop extremely positively. The Swiss benchmark index SMI (Swiss Market Index), which is calculated as a price index and lists the 20 largest and most important stock corporations, gained around 20 % in 2021. As a stable and successful economy in the heart of Europe, Switzerland offers a diverse and interesting corporate landscape, in which small medium-sized companies as well as large international corporations can be found. In this article, we present a small selection of Swiss stocks, including some globally renowned companies as well as a company from the second Swiss stock market league.
By the way: Swiss stocks are available at CapTrader already from 0.10% of the order volume (minimum from 15.00 Swiss Francs CHF). Order fee tradable.
Nestlé
- Company: Nestlé S.A
- Symbol (TWS): NESN
- ISIN: CH0038863350
- Stock exchange: SIX Swiss Exchange
- Country: Switzerland
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Market capitalization: CHF 330.6 billion / CHF 357.4 billion
- Sales (TTM) in USD: 85.3 billion
Nestlé, with a market capitalization of currently around CHF 325 billion (around USD 350 billion) and an index weighting of around 18 % in the SMI, is the largest and most important company on the Swiss stock market. We already told you about the globally active consumer goods group in our article "Consumer Goods Shares" presented. Nestlé looks back on a long and successful history. The company was founded as early as 1886 and has since developed into one of the largest corporations in the world. The company's shares were first traded on the Zurich Stock Exchange as early as March 1873. In terms of market capitalization, Nestlé is currently one of the 20 most valuable companies in the world. Nestlé is particularly active in the production and sale of food and beverages. Its best-known products include baby food, cereals, chocolate, confectionery, coffee products, frozen foods, ice cream and more. A look at the stock chart shows that Nestlé stock has been an excellent choice for long-term investors in the past.
Roche
- Company: Roche Holding AG
- Symbol (TWS): ROG
- ISIN: CH0012032048
- Stock exchange: SIX Swiss Exchange
- Country: Switzerland
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Market capitalization: CHF 298.48 billion / USD 322.68 billion
- Sales (TTM) in USD: 62.1 billion
With a market capitalization of currently more than 300 billion Swiss francs, Roche Holding AG is also a true international heavyweight. In terms of sales, Roche is the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. The company is headquartered in Basel and was founded in 1896. Roche is particularly active in biopharma, diagnostics, as well as prescription drugs, and is one of the world's best-sellers with a range of oncology therapies. Since acquiring biotech pioneer Genentech in 2009, Roche has had a strong research and development presence in the U.S., and the acquisition of Ventana in 2008 has strengthened Roche's diagnostics group. The acquisitions have helped the company maintain its leadership role and led to significant sales increases in recent years.
UBS
- Company: UBS Group AG
- Symbol (TWS): UBSG
- ISIN: CH0244767585
- Stock exchange: SIX Swiss Exchange
- Country: Switzerland
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Market capitalization: CHF 63.54 billion / USD 68.7 billion
- Sales (TTM) in USD: 68.69 billion
UBS Group is one of the world's leading wealth managers and is active in the business areas of investment banking, corporate and consumer banking, and global asset management. Like many other banks, UBS has been in the crosshairs of regulators a few times in recent years due to (alleged) irregularities. These include allegations of manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate benchmark for short-term interest rates, as well as allegations of foreign exchange manipulation. This forced the bank to take swift action to restore its reputation and find new opportunities for growth. UBS did not shy away from this task and made significant investments in upgrading its technology to keep up with the pace of innovation in the financial services industry. It has also increased its exposure to the fast-growing Chinese market. As for UBS's share price performance, since the lows in 2020, a continuous upward trend can be observed, which (measured from low to high) has already led to a doubling of the share price.
Swisscom
- Company: Swisscom AG
- Symbol (TWS): SCMN
- ISIN: CH0008742519
- Stock exchange: SIX Swiss Exchange
- Country: Switzerland
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Market capitalization: CHF 27.86 billion / USD 30.12 billion
- Sales (TTM) in USD: 11.24 billion
Swisscom is the leading telecommunications company in Switzerland and one of the leading IT companies. Swisscom's headquarters are located in Ittigen, near the capital Bern. The company currently employs around. 20,000 employees and has generated a turnover of more than CHF 10 billion in the last 12 months. Swisscom AG is also a member of the Swiss Market Index (SMI). Outside Switzerland, Swisscom is also present on the Italian market with Fastweb. By the end of the third quarter of 2021, over 19,100 employees had generated revenue of CHF 8,343 million. Swisscom is 51% owned by the Swiss Confederation and is one of the most sustainable and innovative companies in Switzerland.
Bossard
- Company: Bossard Holding AG
- Symbol (TWS): BOSN
- ISIN: CH0238627142
- Stock exchange: SIX Swiss Exchange
- Country: Switzerland
- Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
- Market capitalization: CHF 2.19 billion / USD 2.37 billion
- Sales (TTM) in USD: 0.9 billion
Bossard Holding AG is an internationally active company headquartered in Zug, which is active in the fields of industrial fastening technology, screws, inventory management, and logistics. Bossard offers over one million different fasteners. Its activities include sales as well as technical consulting, the development of customized solutions and other services. The company is also listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange; however, with sales of currently less than one billion CHF and a market capitalization of slightly more than two billion CHF, Bossard is not included in the SMI. Bossard has recently presented convincing figures despite the difficult market environment and thus has a good chance of achieving further increases in profits and sales in the coming years. The share price has developed very positively after the downward trend between 2018 and 2020, more than tripling from the low of around CHF 100 per share to the high of around CHF 360.