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Hochtief is the biggest construction firm in Germany. It’s also operational worldwide, with its subsidiary in the US and a majority shareholder in the CIMIC Group ‘Down Under’ in Australia. In 2023, the firm celebrates its 150th anniversary, founded by the Helfmann brothers in Bornheim near Frankfurt am Main.

Around the end of 2021, Hochtief reportedly boasted approximately 33,835 employees worldwide. Hochtief is attributed to some of the biggest infrastructure projects in German history, including the nation’s first nuclear power plant. It was also at the heart of the Bauhaus movement, inspired by a fusion of function and design.

Its most recent large-scale infrastructure project was a five-year overhaul of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The modern-day share price history of Hochtief stock is a tale of two or three eras. After struggling amid the bursting of the dotcom bubble, the Hochtief share price boomed to all-time highs of €94.35 in November 2007, shortly before the onset of the global financial crisis of 2008. The price of Hochtief stock plunged to just over €22 in October 2008.

Its recovery was swift from 2009 onwards, with the subsequent five years proving to be highly lucrative for Hochtief shareholders. After securing the five-year contract to redevelop King Khalid International Airport between 2014-19, the Hochtief share price continued to soar, peaking at €171.55 in May 2017. This would have resulted in a 17-fold return on investment for those who acquired Hochtief stock after the bursting of the dotcom bubble.

Indeed, Hochtief is almost in a league of its own as Germany’s leading construction giant. However, there are several other construction conglomerates across Europe and beyond that run Hochtief close in the size stakes.

The ACS Construction Group is one of the world’s biggest construction firms. With annual revenue totalling €27.8 billion in 2021 and an active workforce of 122,502 globally, Grupo ACS specialises in all kinds of commercial and residential infrastructure projects.

There’s also a strong presence of construction giants in Asia. South Korean firm Hyundai Engineering and Construction see a string of construction and engineering projects concluded out of the South Korean capital, Seoul. It also boasts offices in Algiers, Beijing, Hong Kong and Jakarta, to name but a few. Meanwhile, China Railway Construction is one of the most powerful and integrated construction groups on the planet.