One of These Things Is Not Like the Others: Facebook Edition

Facebook, on the day of its somewhat rocky Internet debut at $38, traded in the range of $40 a share. This gave the company a market valuation of $112 billion. Few newborns emerge that size – and even fewer mature companies get there. Facebook is playing in the big leagues. Here’s a list of the market values of some Very Important Companies that have been in business for decades. See how they compare to Facebook.

• Google: Market value $200 billion; 2011 revenue $37.9 billion

• JP Morgan Chase: Market value $127 billion; 2011 revenue $99.8 billion

• Verizon: Market value $117 billion; 2011 revenue $110.9 billion 

• Merck: Market value $115 billion; 2011 sales $48 billion

• GlaxoSmithKline: $112 billion; 2011 sales $44 billion

• Facebook: Market value $112 billion; 2011 revenue $3.7 billion

• Anheuser-Busch: Market value $111 billion; 2011 revenue $39 billion

• PepsiCo: Market value $109 billion; 2011 revenue $66.5 billion 

• McDonald’s: Market value $91 billion; 2011 revenue $27 billion

• Cisco Systems: Market value $89 billion; 2011 sales $10.4 billion

Now, isn’t that interesting?