Corporate Cash Piles Grow to Record $1.45 Trillion, Moody’s Says

U.S. non-financial companies held a record $1.45 trillion in cash at the end of 2012, up 10 percent from the previous year, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. maintain the five biggest cash balances, comprising $347 billion, or 24 percent of the total held by companies graded by Moody’s, analysts led by Richard Lane wrote in a report today. The richest industries are technology, healthcare and pharmaceutical, energy and consumer products, according to Moody’s.