25 Companies Making the Most Money From Coronavirus
11 min read
Microsoft’s recent earnings report revealed a company that’s not feeling the impact of the pandemic directly on its balance sheet. The company — which has been growing rapidly in recent years on the back of its huge cloud computing segment — posted a 13% increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2019, beating analyst expectations for sales and profits. Revenue growth for their cloud segment Azure was an eye-popping 47%, which was actually a slowdown from the 59% posted the quarter before.
Microsoft’s big report showcased how the coronavirus pandemic isn’t the same for every business. Plenty of companies have seen a huge boost in sales and profits as many Americans change their consumer behaviors to protect themselves from COVID-19, and they’re reaping the benefits even as many other businesses have been forced to close or make costly adjustments to their business model to stay open.
So which companies have fared the best during the crisis? Here’s a closer look at 25 companies making the most money from this pandemic.
Last updated: July 27, 2020
The Company: 3M
As a provider of safety and protection gear, 3M continues to see sales spiking for some of its key products. That includes the Scotch-Brite sponges you’re using at home as well as the N-95 masks and gowns used by the heroes manning hospitals and urgent care clinics right now.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $144.06
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $159.29
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 10.57%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $117.87
The Company: Activision Blizzard
As Americans keep looking for new ways to connect with each other without leaving home, the sort of online multiplayer video games Blizzard is known for are proving a popular option. The company launched its first free-to-play first-person shooter — Call of Duty: Warzone — on March 10 and drew 30 million players within the first 10 days, what Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad told CNBC was the fastest growth for a nonmobile game ever.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $57.35
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $79.61
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 38.81%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $52.05
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The Company: Amazon
America was already in the process of a long-term transition toward online retail, and that process might have been greatly accelerated by this crisis — with many people potentially making the jump far sooner than they otherwise might have. Over just three days from March 14 to March 17, daily visitors jumped by 5.18 million to 73.55 million visitors, per traffic data source SimilarWeb Inc., part of a trend that had Amazon sales growing about 20% across all of its brands at the beginning of March.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $1,800.61
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $2,986.55
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 65.86%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $1,676.61
The Company: Beyond Meat
It’s hard to say just how much of Beyond Meat’s beyond real growth can be attributed to its product still being very new and how much has to do with people’s heightened focus on health during the pandemic, but it’s clear the company is exploding in popularity right now. Sales more than doubled year-over-year for the company’s first quarter in 2020.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $87.96
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $127.15
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 44.55%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $54.02
The Company: Campbell Soup
A hot bowl of soup is always a comfort, and the fact that canned soup lasts basically forever made it among the top products people sought out during the shopping binge. Orders for cases of soup were up over 350% in the week ending March 20 compared to the same week in 2019.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $50.20
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $49.63
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: -1.14%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $41.41
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The Company: Clorox
Most Americans have been thinking a lot more about the microbiome than they had in the past, and it’s helped Clorox and its 50% market share for disinfecting wipes. Shares of the company are up by around 20% this year — almost exactly as much as the S&P 500 was down for the first quarter.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $174.90
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $227.84
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 30.27%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $158.70
The Company: Costco
Costco’s 13.8% year-over-year jump in net sales for the quarter that ended in February showed that it was among the major beneficiaries of people’s rush to stock their shelves. And while its next earnings report showed some slowdown in the 12 weeks ending May 10 — net sales were 7.3% higher — it was still well ahead of where it was last year at this point.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $301.98
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $326.11
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 7.99%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $279.85
The Company: Drizly
One major shift in consumer behavior isn’t necessarily just about people consuming more. Plenty of goods that people might normally consume when they’re out are now seeing most of their business shift to people consuming at home. As such, alcohol e-retailer Drizly has clearly benefitted from the initial statewide bans for restaurants and bars, with sales more than quadrupling. Should populous states like California, Texas and Florida be forced to close down again, it could mean Drizly would see another corresponding jump in business.
The Stats
There is no stock information for this company because it is privately owned.
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The Company: Electronic Arts
This is, arguably, a golden age for video games. If nothing else, people probably have more time to play them now than at any time in the past. As one of the biggest video game makers in the world, EA is in line to benefit — showing a double-digit pop in revenue resulting from the pandemic.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $100.93
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $135.36
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 34.11%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $86.94
The Company: FedEx
The boost for online retailers has a ripple effect, as well. With so many people opting to order their stuff online rather than go to the store, major parcel delivery companies stand to benefit as well. And with Amazon halting its new delivery services for non-Amazon packages, FedEx is in an even better position to reap the benefits of this change.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $115.70
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $165.99
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 43.47%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $90.49
The Company: Johnson & Johnson
While Johnson & Johnson likely experienced a boost in sales for a lot of its consumer products, its biggest potential financial gain could come from the less-familiar biopharmaceutical arm. It’s currently developing one of the more promising potential vaccines for the coronavirus, something that could potentially be worth billions should it produce a product that works. As of June 10, the company had announced it was accelerating its phase 1/2a clinical trial for the treatment.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $136.44
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $149.61
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 9.65%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $111.14
The Company: Kroger
The retail industry is clearly a tale of two different worlds right now, with grocers and other essential services seeing booming business while the rest of the industry was forced to close throughout most of the country. Kroger reported that it’s currently projecting same-store sales growth of over 30% over 2019.
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The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $31.25
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $35.13
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 12.42%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $27.94
The Company: Microsoft
Microsoft’s role as the provider of digital solutions for business puts them in an enviable position. More than ever before, the sort of tools Microsoft has been building for years to help connect and collaborate through its software are proving essential to businesses. With so much office work getting moved into the remote sphere, Microsoft appears to be benefitting for now.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $150.62
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $202.54
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 34.47%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $135.42
The Company: Moderna
Given the enormous costs to national economies from the coronavirus, any potential cure, vaccine or treatment that could significantly reduce its spread will be worth an enormous amount of money. A company with one of the more promising horses in this race is Moderna, a mid-cap biopharma firm with a potential vaccine that could begin clinical trials as early as this month.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $24.29
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $75.33
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 210.13%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $21.30
The Company: Netflix
Streaming media viewing has doubled thus far with so many more people stuck at home, and Netflix grabbed a 42% share of that traffic in the last three weeks of March — getting some help with possibly the best-timed release in history when the docuseries “Tiger King” dropped on March 20. And as the pandemic stretches on, the company likely is continuing to build a relationship with its customers — as a key way of coping with these trying times — that could last well into the future.
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The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $346.49
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $477.58
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 37.83%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $298.84
The Company: Nintendo
While Blizzard might have hardcore gamers locked down with its new Call of Duty title, it’s important to remember that more family-friendly fare is also crucial with so many parents having to keep their kids occupied while they work from home. Nintendo’s new installment of its Animal Crossing franchise sold nearly 2 million copies in Japan in just its first three days.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $42.40
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $55.00
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 29.72%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $37.96
The Company: Peloton
Peloton was already having a moment before the coronavirus swept across America, creating a perfect storm of opportunity for the company as gyms closed and Americans were forced to work out from home. The company’s most recent earnings report showed that membership had spiked by almost one-third and that revenue was up by two-thirds.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $23.21
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $62.31
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 168.46%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $19.51
The Company: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
There might be no higher-stakes race in the history of the pharmaceutical industry than the one playing out right now. Another company with a chance to take the prize? Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. CEO Leonard Schleifer reportedly believes it could have a treatment for COVID-19 “quickly.”
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $474.44
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $630.31
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 32.85%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $429.78
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The Company: RingCentral
Companies that facilitate the capacity for working at home were already riding a wave of growth before this crisis, but it’s likely getting launched into overdrive by this pandemic as thousands of CEOs are realizing that this particular level of flexibility can become a critical piece of infrastructure. That has employers rushing to companies like RingCentral and the flexibility that they can provide to a workforce.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $209.48
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $275.38
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 31.46%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $138.96
The Company: Target
This is one chain that was, ahem, a target for shoppers looking to stock up on basic goods. The store reported a 20% jump in March sales as compared to last year, and its status as essential means it wasn’t forced to close down this spring.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $104.03
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $122.35
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 17.61%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $91.04
The Company: Tesla
For what is now the world’s most valuable car company, 2020 has been a pretty incredible year. And while plenty of people continue to question whether there’s any sane reason why a car company that has yet to crack 1 million units produced in a year is worth over $250 billion, the long-term potential for the company has made it a favorite for some investors looking past the pandemic.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $608.00
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $1,513.07
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 148.86%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $361.22
The Company: Walmart
Perhaps no store out there was better positioned to take advantage of the mid-March buying surge than Walmart, which has some 4,700 U.S. stores poised to meet demand.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $116.64
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $131.64
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 12.86%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $104.05
The Company: Wayfair
Interior decor site Wayfair saw sales increase by one-fifth over the year prior in its most recent earnings report, and by late June, the company was worth over four times as much as it was in early March. The interior decor shopping site appears to be benefitting from a lot of Americans realizing that they might want to make some changes as long as they’re stuck at home that much more.
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The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $49.82
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $218.00
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 337.58%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $23.52
The Company: Winc
Another company getting a huge boost from people quarantining at home is Winc, an online wine store that delivers to your door. For the week ending March 21, the company reported a nearly sevenfold increase in new sign-ups and a nearly 50% jump in sales — a boost in profits that could be setting up a big year for the firm.
The Stats
There is no stock information available for this company because it is privately owned.
The Company: Zoom Video
Zoom has quickly become a household name during this crisis, a staple both for working from home and keeping in touch with loved ones. The company has added 2.22 million new users in 2020 by February, already eclipsing its total for the entire 2019 calendar year.
The Stats
- March 9, 2020, closing price: $113.75
- July 23, 2020, closing price: $251.50
- Change from March 9 closing to July 23 closing: 121.10%
- Lowest closing price during COVID-19: $107.47
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Methodology: In order to find the companies that are set to make the most money during the coronavirus crisis, GOBankingRates looked at company press releases and articles from industry publications to find companies that have reported increased sales/revenue, drastic new demand for products and/or new breakthroughs or products in the coronavirus space. Once these companies were highlighted, GOBankingRates used Yahoo! Finance’s stock charts and historical data to find the (1) closing price on March 9, 2020, for each company’s stock; (2) closing price on July 23, 2020, for each company’s stock; and (3) the lowest closing price of the period for dates March 9 through July 23, 2020. Using these three data points GOBankingRates also found each company’s (4) one-month percent change in stock price and (5) the percent change from its lowest closing price to its July 23 closing price. All data was collected on and up to date as of NYSE closing time on July 23, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 25 Companies Making the Most Money From Coronavirus
