Even Companies can have Parents!

Did you know that many companies you love are publicly traded – that means you can buy their stock (i.e., own a little piece of them).  But the real surprise, in some cases, is who the parent company is.  For example, are you a Marvel Comics fan?  You can own a piece of Marvel comics by buying stock in Disney.

Here are some brands/companies that are siblings (i.e., they have the same parent company) that we did not expect!

Looking sharp!  Louis Vitton, Dom Perignon and Sephora all have the same parent company: LVMH, who is the top luxury conglomerate in the world

Love that fast food? You may have noticed that Kentucky Fried Chicken is often in the same location with a Taco Bell. That’s because they are both owned by Yum! Brands.  But here is the surprise  – they are also sibling companies with Pizza Hut.

Another unlikely grouping is Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons, all owned by Restaurant Brands Int’l Inc.

In the finer dining category is Capital Grille, Yard House and Seasons 52, all owned by Darden Restaurants.

Can’t decide between appliances from Maytag, Whirlpool, KitchenAid or Jenn-Air?  Maybe that’s why they are all owned by Whirlpool.

Tech lovers:  Whether you are playing on your XBOX or catching up with friends on Skype or collaborating with a project team on GitHub, you can thank Microsoft.

Going somewhere?  Did you know that Trivago, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, CheapTickets, HomeAway, and Hotels.com are all part of Expedia!

And Kayak, Priceline.com, OpenTable, and Booking.com round outthe travel companies – they are all owned by Booking Holdings Inc.

Lip Snackin’ Surprise!  Did you know Trident gum, Cadbury, Honey Maid, Oreo, Philadelphia, Sour Patch, Toblerone, Ritz, Wheat Thins, and Triscuit are all related? The parent company is Mondelez International.

Why is this Important?

At Stock Squirrel we want you to have an impact on the companies that own the brands you love.  We will keep track of the likely and unlikely company relationships so that you always know which stock to purchase and what these companies are up to from the perspective of ESG (environment, social and governance)!