Why bother with searching for Publix stock price? Well, with more than 1,242 stores and revenues of $8.90 billion last quarter, Publix Super Markets Inc. is fulfilling its mission to be the premier quality food retailer in the world. That being said, is there Publix stock to trade or invest in? We were looking for answers too, read on and see what we found.
So, Annual sales for 2019 topping $36 billion, Publix is well on their way. Not surprisingly, eager investors want to share in the companies success by buying up shares. Unfortunately, as you’re about to find out, it’s challenging to buy Publix stock. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a bite out of the other industry giants on the market.
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Is Publix a Publicly Traded Stock?
About Publix And It's History
Headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, Publix Super Markets Inc. was founded by George W. Jenkins on September 6, 1930. What sets Publix apart is that they are the largest employee-owned company in the U.S.
And with more than 200,000 associates operating in 1,242 stores across the southern U.S., Publix is an industry giant. They offer hungry shoppers a variety of seafood, dairy products, baked and goods, confectionery items, dry fruits, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, as well as pharmacy services.
With a trail of accolades, Publix is the desired Company to work for. For an astonishing 23 years, Fortune Magazine recognized Publix (PUSH) as being a Great Place to Work®. Interestingly, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business.
Interestingly, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business.
Giving Back to the Community The Publix Way
According to Feeding America, close to 17.1 million additional people will experience food insecurity due to the pandemic. But Publix is trying to do something about it.
With numerous reports of farmers throwing out unsold produce and milk — mostly as a result of school, restaurant and hotel closures — Publix hopes to tackle this problem.
Publix Super Markets Charities recently made donations totaling $2 million to support Feeding America member food banks during the pandemic.
By using their industry foothold, Publix launched an initiative to help farmers and those in need. For starters, they will purchase fresh produce and milk to assist farmers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Secondly, more than 150,000 pounds of produce and 43,500 gallons of milk will be donated to food banks. It’s too bad there’s no Publix stock because they’d be a great company to invest in.
A History of Giving From Publix's Heart
If you think this is some kind of P.R. ploy to garner popularity, think again. Throughout the Company’s history, Publix has supported organizations working toward alleviating hunger.
Since 2009, Publix has donated more than $2 billion in food to people in need and has pledged an additional $2 billion in food donations over the next ten years. How impressive is that?
Who Owns the Most Publix Stock?
Publix’s’ history of giving doesn’t stop with the community. In fact, it starts in-house with its founder, George Jenkins. George believed in his people and investing in others. Not surprisingly, his vision was for the Associates of Publix to own it. His rationale? George thought, and perhaps rightfully so, that if the Publix Associates owned the company, they would take better care of it and work harder to make it better. From its inception, Mr. George believed in respecting the dignity of the individual, encouraging associates to share their ideas and opinions. With his grande vision at the forefront of his mind, he created an employee stock purchase plan. This plan formally enabled associates to purchase shares of company stock.
You can’t. Unfortunately, to this day, Publix remains privately owned. The good news is – for the 200,000 employees of Publix, they can purchase stock after one year of employment.
Even though Publix Associates can purchase shares, we can not. That is, of course, unless you decide to take up a new career with them or you’re a member of their Board of Directors.
What Is the Ticker to See Publix Stock Price?
Since the Associates common stock isn’t publicly traded on any stock exchange, it does not have a “ticker” symbol.
Like I mentioned above, only Associates and members of our board of directors can purchase Publix stock. Although we wish there was stock trading available for Publix.
As of March 1, 2020, one share of this stock would set an Associate back $48.90! But as of March 11, 2020, Publix Super Markets’ stock was trading at $20.00.
Coincidentally, the same time Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Considering the global impact of COVID-19 on stock markets across the world, I would not be too concerned if I was holding Publix stock. In fact, if I were an Associate and had extra money, I would be eating up shares of Publix.
Will Publix Ever Go Public?
Not surprisingly, investors have long speculated about the possibility of a public stock offering. But don’t hold your breath; Publix Supermarket Inc. has very little reason to become a public company. It is a private company with a well established regional presence. They don’t have a great need for outside funding; its stock is merely a kind of profit-sharing for its employees.
On the contrary, the only reason I could see them going public would be to sell off the Company.
However, I see no reason for that, considering they are incredibly profitable and have no debt to speak of. An even more impressive fact is that they usually buy or lease new properties with cash.
Some Alternatives to Publix Super Markets Stock
Fortunately for investors, you have a few options of supermarket chains that trade on public markets. Perhaps the most familiar is Kroger (K.R.). This grocery giant is the largest in the world, with annual revenues topping a mind boggling $119 billion.
StockRover provides great research reports that are proprietary.
If Kroger doesn’t curb your appetite, have you considered Costco? Costco (COST) is another leader among publicly traded supermarket chains. Cost is a leader in the “warehouse club” space making it attractive in this category for supermarkets as well. Costco has 782 stores worldwide as of 2019, with most of its sales derived in the United States (73%) and Canada (14%0 but they also have a large presence in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
Costco mainly caters to individual shoppers who are looking to “save costs”, but roughly 20% of paid members also carry business memberships, meaning they buy goods for their office or work.Food and sundries accounted for 40% of fiscal 2019 sales, with ancillary businesses (such as fuel and pharmacy) 19%, hard lines just over 16%, fresh food 13%, and soft lines 11%. Costco’s warehouses average around 146,000 square feet; over 75% of its locations offer fuel for the general public. With strong growth across the board – international markets included, COST is one to check out. However, before you go and “woof” your cookies, know that shares are currently trading at $309.
Also worth checking out is Albertsons stock that recently went public.
Cost has some impressive fundamentals, research reports are available on demand from StockRover…please realize this may be out of date and an updated report should be sought after April 2020!
No fear though, you can easily get your hands on 100 shares at a time through options contracts. Although many don’t think of Walmart as a grocery store, it’s publicly traded at $131 a share. Once again, they are a force to be reckoned with in the grocery industry. And despite the sweeping losses across the board, Walmart stock has actually gone up in price.
Publix Does Pay To Rent Space From $BRX
Brixmor (NYSE: BRX) is a REIT which is a real estate renter for commercial properties. This particular company actually owns and operates a high-quality, national portfolio of outside shopping plazas. They currently have operations with 5,000 retailers including Publix Super Markets. If you’re interested in $PBLX consider $BRX.
Final Thoughts
Running a large multi-national corporation isn’t easy. And when you factor in variables like workplace culture, competition, and global pandemics, it’s easy to see why many companies fail. However, Publix Super Markets shines as one of today’s most successful companies, and we’d look closely at it.
That said, you don’t have to limit yourself to companies that sell food. Because, when it comes to trading, there’s no one size fits all approach.
