Linear Technology Takes Over #347 Spot From CMS Energy

Market capitalization is an important data point for investors to keep an eye on, for various reasons. The most basic reason is that it gives a true comparison of the value attributed by the stock market to a given company's stock. Many beginning investors look at one stock trading at $10 and another trading at $20 and mistakenly think the latter company is worth twice as much — that of course is a completely meaningless comparison without knowing how many shares of each company exist. But comparing market capitalization (factoring in those share counts) creates a true "apples-to-apples" comparison of the value of two stocks. In the case of Linear Technology Corp. (LLTC), the market cap is now $10.05 billion, versus CMS Energy Corp (CMS) at $9.99 billion.

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The 20 Largest U.S. Companies By Market Capitalization »

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