Anyone who has invested in the FAANG companies over the years may have made a lot of money. And given their market capitalization, it’s likely that most investors have some exposure to these firms even if they do not directly own shares. The term “FAANG” gained popularity from famed CNBC anchor Jim Cramer. (He originally referred to only FANG, leaving out Apple from the list.) Cramer credited the term to Bob Lang, a technical analyst he once worked with. Over the years, FAANG has referred specifically to five companies, but it also may generally refer to high-growth stocks in the technology and consumer discretionary sector.
Why FAANG Stocks Matter
FAANG stocks are worth paying close attention to, even if you don’t invest in them directly. That’s because they make up a significant portion of the total market capitalization of the stock market, and their price movements can have an impact on the market as a whole. The value of the U.S. stock market has been estimated at about $45 trillion in March 2022. That’s up from $10.7 trillion in December 2001, before Netflix and Meta were public. Any mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that seeks to broadly track the S&P 500 will likely be heavily invested in FAANG stocks. For example, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, which seeks to mirror the returns of the S&P 500, invests about 12% of the entire portfolio in the five FAANG stocks. Thus, it’s easy to see how the movement of these stocks can impact the returns of the overall stock market.
Meta (FB)
The company went public in 2012, eight years after being founded. Its premier social media platform, Facebook, is the world’s largest with more than 2.7 billion active users. It has expanded its products through acquisitions of Instagram, Oculus VR, WhatsApp, and more. While Meta’s initial public offering was a disappointment to some, and the company has faced scrutiny over its privacy practices, the company’s share price has seen a rise in value over the years. Shares have more than tripled in value since the start of 2015.
Apple (APPL)
This is the old veteran of the FAANG group, with a history that goes back to the emergence of the personal computer in the 1970s and 1980s. Now, the company still makes computers, but it also makes nearly half of its money from smartphone sales. It also generates revenue from apps, streaming music, cloud storage, smartwatches, and a streaming television service released in 2019. Share prices of Apple have more than quadrupled since the start of 2016.
Netflix (NFLX)
In some ways, Netflix is the outlier of this group, as its market capitalization is smaller than the other FAANG firms. But its rapid growth in subscribers and its disruption of the video rental and television business have made it one of the most influential public companies. Netflix went public in 2002 as a much different company, offering a subscription service to rent DVDs by mail. It gradually shifted to streaming movies and then introduced original content. It now has over 222 million subscribers who are willing to pay between $9.99 and $19.99 per month for its streaming service. Netflix is spending a lot on programming, so massive profitability may still be a ways off. And while the company has seen rapid growth in subscribers, in 2022 their new membership growth lagged slightly. Nevertheless, investors have been rewarded, as shares have increased about three times since the start of 2017. Volatility may be a concern; shares rose rapidly to about $690 during the latter half of 2021, for example, before dropping down to about $380 by March 2022.
Google, Alphabet (GOOGL)
Alphabet is the parent company of Google, the world’s most popular search engine. It’s now also a maker of a smartphone, and has a wide range of investments in everything from self-driving car technology, to smart cities, to biotech through its venture capital arm, GV. It also owns YouTube, one of the largest social media platforms behind Meta. Investors who got in early with Google will have made out well, and even those who didn’t get in right away may still have profited handsomely. Shares have more than quadrupled in value since 2015.
How to Invest in FAANG Stocks
Each FAANG company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the NASDAQ, so purchasing shares of each company is a straightforward process for most investors. The easiest path is through an online brokerage account with companies such as E-Trade, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, or Robinhood. If you find yourself priced out of FAANG stocks, or prefer not to own individual shares of the companies, you can get exposure to them through many mutual funds and ETFs. Any index fund tracking the S&P 500 or broader stock market will most likely have holdings in FAANG stocks. Large-cap funds and funds focused on the tech and communications industries will bring similar exposure.
