The Biggest Cash Holdings in the S&P 500

Photo: Mike Kemp Corporations hold large amounts of cash for a variety of reasons, including speculation on the price of assets, corporate acquisitions, future investments or even as a precaution against market uncertainty. If a company holds more cash or highly liquid assets as a large proportion of their total assets and relative to their peers, investors can draw insight into the size and scope of a company’s future investments. Keep in mind that some industries by their nature will have much more hard assets than others, such as utilities, for example. To get an idea of the companies that are holding the most cash, CNBC.com did an analysis of cash and short term, highly-liquid investments held by S&P 500 companies as a ratio of total assets, using data from Capital IQ. Financial companies are excluded from this list since they inherently hold large amounts of cash. For the purpose of this slideshow, “liquid assets” are defined as total cash and short term investments held by an individual company. So, which S&P 500 companies are the most cash-rich? Click ahead to find out! By Giovanny Moreano & Paul ToscanoPosted 1 July 2010

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 49.3% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 103.6% Total cash & short term investments: $39.11 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet CSCO Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 49.4% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 102.7% Total cash & short term investments: $2.95 billion Sector averages: Health CareLiquid assets (as % of total assets): 17.52% Total liquid assets: $3.25 billion Note: Celgene recently announced a deal to buy Abraxis for $2.9 billion in cash and stock. Cash holdings presented here are reported prior to the announcement of this deal.Get CELG Real-Time Quote

Photo: QLogic.com Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 50%Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 68.4% Total cash & short term investments: $375.7 million Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet QLGC Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 53.4% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 79.9% Total cash & short term investments: $3.32 billion Sector averages: Health Care Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 17.52% Total liquid assets: $3.25 billionGet FRX Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 54% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 116.9% Total cash & short term investments: $979.6 million Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet NOVL Real-Time Quote

Photo: CoolCaesar Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 54.2% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 91.95% Total cash & short term investments: $1.42 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet TLAB Real-Time Quote

Photo: Priceline.com Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 56.1% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 50.22% Total cash & short term investments: $1.24 billion Sector averages: Consumer Discretionary Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 14.44% Total liquid assets: $1.74 billionGet PLCN Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 56.4% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 27.1% Total cash & short term investments: $8.58 billion Sector averages: Health CareLiquid assets (as % of total assets): 17.52% Total liquid assets: $3.25 billionGet HUM Real-Time Quote

Photo: Chris Stein | Stone | Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 57.2% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 43.2% Total cash & short term investments: $1.66 billion Sector averages: Consumer Staples Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 8.77% Total liquid assets: $1.596 billionGet LO Real-Time Quote

Photo: NetApp Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 57.3% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 94.7% Total cash & short term investments: $3.72 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet NTAP Real-Time Quote

Photo: cesweb.org Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 60.8% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 102.2% Total cash & short term investments: $2.39 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet ADI Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 61.8% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 106.4% Total cash & short term investments: $26.51 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet GOOG Real-Time Quote

Photo: Gabriel Bouys | AFP | Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 62.2% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 148.9% Total cash & short term investments: $1.55 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet VRSN Real-Time Quote

Photo: Mitch Hrdlicka | Photodisc | Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 63.3% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 101% Total cash & short term investments: $1.02 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet LLTC Real-Time Quote

Photo: Getty Images Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 65.9% Liquid assets (as % of total revenue): 130.4% Total cash & short term investments: $1.74 billion Sector averages: Information Technology Liquid assets (as % of total assets): 31.74% Total liquid assets: $4.33 billionGet ALTR Real-Time Quote

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