CEOs making billions through company stocks

As many as 27 chief executive officers in the United States hold at least $1 billion worth of their companies’ stock, according to 24/7 Wall St.

Let's take a look at some CEOs making billions thanks largely to stocks.

Source: 24/7 Wall St

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Warren Buffett

Company: Berkshire Hathaway

Value of shares: $56.5 billion

CEO since: 1970

Overall rank: 1

Buffett, one of the wealthiest men in the world, started buying shares in Berkshire Hathaway in 1962 and later acquired the whole company. Although his investment has made him extremely rich, he leads a frugal life.

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Larry Ellison

Company: Oracle Corporation

Value of shares: $35.8 billion

CEO since: 1977

Overall rank: 2

Ellison, who was raised by his mother's aunt and uncle, launched the company with two other engineers after working on a database project for CIA code-named “Oracle."

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Jeff Bezos

Company: Amazon.com

Value of shares: $25.4 billion

CEO since: 1996

Overall rank: 3

Bezos, the owner of largest online retailer in the world, launched Amazon.com in 1994 in his garage.

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Sheldon Adelson

Company: Las Vegas Sands

Value of shares: $24.9 billion

CEO since: 1988

Overall rank: 4

Adelson, who owns the Israeli newspaper Israel HaYom, bought the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1988.

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Larry Page

Company: Google

Value of shares: $21.5 billion

CEO since: 2011

Overall rank: 5

Page, who owns about 16 per cent of Google's stock with co-founder Sergey Brin, invented PageRank, the bedrock of the company's search algorithm.

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Mark Zuckerberg

Company: Facebook

Value of shares: $18.7 billion

CEO since: 2004

Overall rank: 6

Zuckerberg, who launched Facebook in Harvard's dormitory rooms, is the world's second-youngest self-made billionaire.

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Harold Hamm

Company: Continental Resources

Value of shares: $13.8 billion

CEO since: 1967

Overall rank: 7

Hamm, who used to fill petrol at petrol stations and repair cars, has been ranked as one of the most influential people in the world.

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Rupert Murdoch

Company: Twenty-First Century Fox

Value of shares: $10.4 billion

CEO since: 2013

Overall rank: 8

Murdoch became managing director of Australia's News Limited in 1952. He is the founder and CEO of News Corporation and Twenty-First Century Fox, a company he split in 2013.

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Steve Ballmer

Company: Microsoft Corporation

Value of shares: $10.4 billion

CEO since: 2000

Overall rank: 9

Ballmer, who will be stepping down as CEO in a year's time, joined Microsoft on June 11, 1980, becoming its 30th employee.

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Richard Kinder

Company: Kinder Morgan

Value of shares: $8.5 billion

CEO since: 1999

Overall rank: 10

Kinder, CEO of energy and pipeline corporation Kinder Morgan, has worked as a lawyer and real estate investor.

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Elon Musk

Company: Tesla Motors

Value of shares: $4.7 billion

CEO since: 2008

Overall rank: 11

Musk, who was born in South Africa, is the founder of PayPal, a payments and money transfers service; SpaceX, a space transport company; and Tesla Motors, a manufacturer of electric cars.

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Michael Dell

Company: Dell Incorporated

Value of shares: $3.8 billion

CEO since: 2007

Overall rank: 12

Dell, who began business by selling upgraded kits for personal computers, started investing in stocks in his early teens.

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Ralph Lauren

Company: Ralph Lauren Corporation

Value of shares: $3.7 billion

CEO since: 1967

Overall rank: 13

Lauren, who is famous for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing company, loves buying and collecting vintage cars.

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John Hess

Company: Hess Corporation

Value of shares: $2.3 billion

CEO since: 1983

Overall rank: 14

Hess, who earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, is the son of the founder of Hess Corporation.

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Frederick Smith

Company: FedEx Corporation

Value of shares: $2.1 billion

CEO since: 1977

Overall rank: 15

Smith, who once had to go to casino just to raise money for his company, now serves on the board of several big public companies.