The issues related to the shareholder value maximization have been frequently debated in the academic literature in the last three decades. However, different authors emphasize different types of value drivers. Thus, the purpose of the paper is to detect the most important factors affecting the value creation process in companies. Content analysis of the relevant discourse from Scopus, EBSCO, Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge and other databases was performed to achieve the established objective. Frequency tables generated by AQUAD 6.0 and cluster analysis provided by Hamlet II 3.0 assisted the authors in obtaining critical factors stimulating value creation process in companies. The analysis performed by the authors revealed that the sustainable shareholder value is based on the long-term and stable economic performance, accompanied by the properly implemented corporate governance system, high CSR standards, rational capital budgeting politics and high financial results accountability. Considering the factors affecting shareholder wealth, it is possible to increase investment attractiveness of a company for the existing and potential strategic and retail investors. Besides, the distilled factors can be used for predicting shareholders’ return.