Top 30 companies of Brazil in the Bovespa index 2019

The largest Brazilian companies have a heavy impact on the economy of the country, Latin America and beyond. The thirty largest publicly traded companies of Brazil in the B3 Stock Exchange are presented here with details on their activities, logos, and useful information.

In Brazil, large companies are generally incorporated as Sociedade Anônima (abbreviated as S.A.), to get publicly listed on the Brazilian Stock Exchange, the Brasil Bolsa Balcão – B3. They have to abide by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil but they can then obtain capital from investors who buy their stocks on the B3 stock exchange.

The Bovespa Index

To facilitate the evaluation of movements in the equity market and the economy of Brazil, the stocks of about 60 of the most traded Brazilian companies, which includes the largest corporations of the country. They are aggregated in the Bovespa Index, best known as Ibovespa (Índice Bovespa) which is considered the benchmark stock index of Brazil. Regrouping the companies that were most traded on the B3 stock exchange in the last 12 months, companies that are included in the Ibovespa represent 70% of all the stock value traded in Brazil.

The real-time quotation of the Bovespa  Index can be followed through convenient graphical tools from a number of sources, including the B3 stock exchange, Google Finance, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, etc.

For more information on other world-leading companies, check our series of posts on Top Companies, and for more information on the country, read our articles on Top Business Resources for Brazil.

List of the 30 largest companies of the Bovespa index by market capitalization

To help you learn more about Brazilian corporations, the 30 largest companies in the Ibovespa have been listed hereafter. Each company is presented with details on its operations, sector, market capitalization, a direct link to its website, logo, and stock symbol.

Companies are ranked by market capitalization in Brazilian Real as of the effective close of Friday, July 12, 2019.

Note that if you are searching for information on these companies to invest in their stocks, make sure you know what you are doing as your investment will be subject to significant risks with the evolution of stock prices. To learn more about investing in the stock market and managing your portfolio, check our post on the best online courses on stock investing and trading.

Quick links to the 30 largest publicly listed companies in the Brazilian Ibovespa

To facilitate your browsing in this long list, here are quick links to go directly to the details of any of the top 30 Ibovespa companies.

30. Ultra

Sector: Conglomerate

Ultra, publicly traded on São Paulo’s stock exchange as Ultrapar, is a conglomerate company. Founded in 1937, Ultra is engaged through its subsidiaries Ipiranga and Ultragaz in fuel distribution, in chemicals production through Oxiteno, in liquid storage through Ultracargo, and in pharmacies through Extrafarma.

Website: ultra.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 22.79 Billion – Stock symbol: UGPA3

29. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional

Sector: Siderurgy & Metallurgy

Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, also known through the acronym CSN, is a steel-making company. One of the largest fully integrated steel producer in Brazil and South America, CSN produces a wide array of steel products used in distribution, packaging, automotive, home appliance and construction industries, including slabs, hot- and cold-rolled, galvanized and tin mill products.

Website: csn.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 23.69 Billion – Stock symbol: CSNA3

28. CEMIG

Sector: Energy

CEMIG is a company engaged in power generation and distribution and majority-owned by the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It primarily operates hydroelectric power plants with about 6,000 MW of generation capacity in Brazil and Chile. Through its subsidiaries, CEMIG is also involved in cable television, internet, and telecommunications, with Infovias, in natural gas with Gasmig.

Website: cemig.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 23.73 Billion – Stock symbol: CMIG4

27. Natura & Co

Sector: Cosmetics

Natura & Co is a cosmetics company. Present in more than 70 countries, Natura & Co operates more than 3.200 stores providing a range of eco-friendly products and sustainable practices through brands including Natura Cosméticos, Aesop and The Body Shop. It also conducts direct sales and multilevel marketing, connecting more than 6 million resellers around the world.

Website: naturaeco.com – Market Cap.: R$ 23.88 Billion – Stock symbol: NATU3

26. Gerdau

Sector: Siderurgy & Metallurgy

Gerdau is a steel-producing company. Providing a wide range of steel products, Gerdau is the largest producer of long steel in Latin America. It operates steel mills in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Peru, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela, and more than 300 industrial and commercial units.

Website: gerdau.com – Market Cap.: R$ 23.90 Billion – Stock symbol: GGBR4

25. GPA

Sector: Retail

Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, doing business as GPA (acronym of the company’s former name, Grupo Pão de Açúcar), is a retail company. It operates more than 150 supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, and e-commerce platforms, selling a wide range of products, including food and hygiene products, electronic goods and home appliances. GPA is majority-owned by the French conglomerate retail group Casino.

Website: gpari.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 24.93 Billion – Stock symbol: PCAR4

24. Lojas Americanas

Sector: Retail

Lojas Americanas is a retail company. Founded in 1929, it operates about 1500 stores, local convenience stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets, selling consumer and media electronics, home appliances and furniture, beauty products, and toys. It is also one of the leading operators of e-commerce websites in Brazil.

Website: americanas.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 25.44 Billion – Stock symbol: LAME4

23. BRF

Sector: Food

BRF S.A. is a world-leading food company. Producing a wide range of food products ranging from frozen meals, frozen poultry and swine cuts, to pizzas, cold cuts, and breaded meals, BRF owns 50 more than factories in eight countries and operates more than 30 brands around the world including Sadia, Perdigão, Perdix, Qualy, Paty, Danica, Bocatti, Speedy Pollo and Vienissima.

Website: brf-global.com – Market Cap.: R$ 27.26 Billion – Stock symbol: BRFS3

22. TIM Brasil

Sector: Telecommunications

TIM Celular S.A., better known as TIM Brazil, is a telecommunications company, majority-owned by Telecom Italia. It provides broadband internet services as well as mobile and fixed telephony services for individuals and businesses throughout Brazil.

Website: tim.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 29.29 Billion – Stock symbol: TIMP3

21. Braskem

Sector: Petrochemicals

Braskem is the largest petrochemical company in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. It is a leading producer of thermoplastic resins and biopolymers, operating more than 30 industrial plants across Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany.

Website: braskem.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 29.30 Billion – Stock symbol: BRKM5

20. CCR

Sector: Transport

CCR S.A., an acronym for its former name Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias, is a transportation company. Through its subsidiaries, CCR is involved in private interstate highway and toll concessions, airport operations, and metro systems with services in administrative centers, logistics and engineering, traffic control and monitoring, and electronic toll-charging.

Website: grupoccr.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 30.40 Billion – Stock symbol: CCRO3

19. Localiza

Sector: Car rental

Localiza, also known as Localiza Hertz, is a car rental company. One of the largest car rental companies in Latin America and the world by fleet size and market capitalization, Localiza operates more than 550 branches in Brazil and many more in other countries of Latin America: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It also operates associated services of car leasing and fleet management, and grants franchises for selling used cars.

Website: localizahertz.com – Market Cap.: R$ 30.52 Billion – Stock symbol: RENT3

18. Rumo

Sector: Logistics

Rumo S.A. is a logistics and transportation company. Operating primarily in railway transports logistics, Rumo also provides logistics transportation services including intermodal transport, port operations, movement and storage of merchandise and administration of storage facilities. It is also involved in the lease of railroad equipment and road transport services through its subsidiary América Latina Logística Intermodal S.A.

Website: en.rumolog.com – Market Cap.: R$ 33.50 Billion – Stock symbol: RAIL3

17. Sabesp

Sector: Utilities

Sabesp is a water and waste management company, majority-owned by the São Paulo state. It provides water sanitation and distribution services as well as sewage services to residential, commercial and industrial users in the São Paulo state. Sabesp aims at developing its footprint in the São Paulo state and other states of Brazil, and it has engaged in cooperations in Spain, Israel, and Costa Rica.

Website: sabesp.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 35.45 Billion – Stock symbol: SBSP3

16. CPFL Energia

Sector: Energy

CPFL Energia is an energy company engaged in electricity generation and distribution. It is composed of multiple subsidiaries that focus on a specific geographic or vertical segment in the generation, distribution, and commercialization of electric and renewable energy, together with associated value-added services.

Website: cpfl.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 36.30 Billion – Stock symbol: CPFE3

15. Lojas Renner

Sector: Retail

Lojas Renner is a retail chain of clothing department stores. Founded in 1912, Lojas Renner regroups more than 500 stores across Brazil under the Renner, Camicado, and Youcom brands. The company has also opened stores in Uruguay and is now expanding to Argentina.

Website: lojasrenner.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 37.74 Billion – Stock symbol: LREN3

14. ENGIE Brasil

Sector: Energy

ENGIE Brasil is a company specialized in the production and distribution of electricity. Operating 6 hydroelectric power plants and 5 thermal power plants, it is one of the largest power generating company in Brazil. ENGIE Brazil is majority-owned by the French energy company ENGIE.

Website: engie.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 37.94 Billion – Stock symbol: EGIE3

13. WEG Industries

Sector: Engineering

WEG is a company specialized in electric engineering, power and automation technology. It manufactures and distributes electric motors, generators, electric components, products for industrial automation, power and distribution transformers, liquid and powder paints and electrical insulation varnishes.

Website: weg.net – Market Cap.: R$ 48.46 Billion – Stock symbol: WEGE3

12. Eletrobras

Sector: Energy

Eletrobras, shorten from Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A., is an electric utility company. Majority-owned by the Brazilian government, Electrobras is the largest power utility company in Latin America and a major producer of clean energy. Through a number of subsidiaries, Electrobras is generating about 40% and transmitting 69% of Brazil’s electric supply.

Website: eletrobras.com – Market Cap.: R$ 52.51 Billion – Stock symbol: ELET3-ELET6

11. JBS

Sector: Food

JBS S.A. is a meat processing company. It produces and distributes processed beef, chicken and pork, and also commercializes meat by-products. Operating more than 150 industrial plants around the world, JBS S.A. is the world’s largest meat producer.

Website: jbs.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 65.08 Billion – Stock symbol: JBSS3

10. B3

Sector: Securities

B3, which stands for Brasil Bolsa Balcão S.A., is the main stock exchange of Brazil, located in São Paulo. Resulting from the merger of three former Brazilian stock exchanges, B3 now gathers more than R$2 trillion in market capitalization of quoted companies stocks.

Website: b3.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 81.75 Billion – Stock symbol: B3SA3

9. Telefonica Brasil

Sector: Telecommunications

Telefônica Brasil is a telecommunications company, subsidiary of the Spanish telecommunications group, Telefónica. Trading in Brazil under the brand Vivo, Telefônica Brasil provides an array of services including internet access, cable and satellite television, fixed and mobile telecommunications.

Website: telefonica.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 84.59 Billion – Stock symbol: VIVT4

8. Itausa

Sector: Holding

Itaúsa is a holding company controlling several companies including Itaú Unibanco, a multinational banking group (see below #2), Duratex, a company specialized in wood materials, Alpargatas, a company specialized in footwear and sports articles, as well as several other companies in real estate, healthcare, and chemicals.

Website: itausa.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 109.82 Billion – Stock symbol: ITSA4

7. Banco do Brasil

Sector: Financials

Banco do Brasil S.A. is the oldest active bank in Brazil, majority-owned by the Brazilian government. Founded in 1808, Banco do Brasil is the oldest active bank in Brazil. It is a national leader in retail banking, also involved in commercial banking, insurance, and private equity services for businesses and the public sector.

Website: bb.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 149.00 Billion – Stock symbol: BBAS3

6. Santander Brasil

Sector: Financials

Banco Santander Brasil is a Brazilian subsidiary of the Spanish banking corporation Santander Group. Operating in commercial banking and all the other segments of financial markets, Santander Brasil became one of the largest banking companies in the country through a series of acquisitions of other financial institutions.

Website: santander.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 173.83 Billion – Stock symbol: SANB11

5. Vale

Sector: Mining

Vale S.A. is a multinational involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and production of metals and a logistics operator. It is the largest producer of iron ore and nickel in the world, also producing manganese, ferroalloys, copper, bauxite, potash, kaolin, and cobalt. Vale is also operating 9 hydroelectric power plants, and a network of railroads, ships, and ports for the transportation of its products.

Website: vale.com – Market Cap.: R$ 273.79 Billion – Stock symbol: VALE3

4. AmBev

Sector: Beverages

AmBev, officially Companhia de Bebidas das Américas, is a brewing and beverage company operating throughout Latin America and Canada, with beer brands including Antarctica, Bogotá Beer Company, Brahma, Bohemia, Skol, Stella Artois and soft drinks including Guaraná Antarctica, Soda Antarctica, Sukita, H2OH! and Guarah. It also bottles, sells and distributes products of PepsiCo, one of the largest companies quoted in the Nasdaq, in Brazil and Latin America. AmBev is majority-owned by the Belgian brewing holdings company Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Website: ambev.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 286.24 Billion – Stock symbol: ABEV3

3. Banco Bradesco

Sector: Financials

Banco Bradesco, or more simply Bradesco, is a banking and financial services company. It offers a range of commercial and retail banking services, together with insurance and asset management services. Having expanded through numerous acquisitions, Bradesco is also a pioneer in technology, a leader in Brazil for ATM biometric reading systems that allows customers to be identified using the vascular pattern of their hands.

Website: banco.bradesco – Market Cap.: R$ 290.93 Billion – Stock symbol: BBDC3-BBDC4

2. Itau Unibanco

Sector: Financials

Itaú Unibanco, or more simply Itaú, is the largest bank in Brazil and Latin American bank by assets and market capitalization. A subsidiary of Itaúsa (see above #8), Itaú Unibanco provides services in retail banking, insurance, and investment banking with operations in multiple countries of Latin and North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Website: itau.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 330.10 Billion – Stock symbol: ITUB4

1. Petrobras

Sector: Oil & Gas

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., more commonly known as Petrobras, is a multinational corporation involved in the oil and gas industry, majority-owned by the Brazilian government. It is involved in the exploration, production, refining, transportation, marketing and distribution of oil products, ethanol, biodiesel, and natural gas, with the majority of its production in Brazil and other assets in Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Website: petrobras.com.br – Market Cap.: R$ 392.21 Billion – Stock symbol: PETR3-PETR4

Here are the 30 largest public companies from Brazil. Do you think they are worth their market capitalization? Are their stocks a good investment right now? Do they have too much economic power… and maybe political power too?

Leave your comments below!