Tuesday, July 17, 2012

FORTUNE 500 -2012 LIST - TOP 10 COMPANIES


FORTUNE 500 -2012 LIST

TOP 10 COMPANIES

The  latest list of Fortune 500 companies , as always, has interesting details – of companies, moving up, down, out, in and so on. The details of the TOP 10 COMPANIES are given below in brief. All these are Great companies worth the attention of the world.

Interested Readers can see the full List and details at : http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/full_list/

1. Exxon Mobil : Rank: 1 (Previous rank: 2)

CEO: Rex W. Tillerson

It's tough to beat the kind of year Exxon Mobil had in 2011. Shares rose by 20% and profits surged by 35% to $41.1 billion. Revenues jumped 28% to $452.9 billion, helping Exxon reclaim the top spot in the Fortune 500.

Exxon has certainly benefited from rising oil prices, particularly during the last quarter of 2011. But the company has also positioned itself well to capitalize on the latest controversial trend in domestic energy production: Fracking. Exxon now produces just about as much gas as it does oil, thanks to its $35 billion purchase of XTO Energy in 2010. As CEO Rex Tillerson told Fortune recently, with world demand for energy expected to rise considerably during the coming decades, the shale gas party has just begun.

Key financials     $ millions             % change from 2010
Revenues            452,926.0             27.7
Profits                   41,060.0               34.8
Assets                   331,052.0            
Market value (3/29/2012)            405,714.1            
Earnings per share : 2011 $ : 8.42
Industry: Petroleum Refining

2. Wal-Mart Stores  :  Rank: 2 (Previous rank: 1)

CEO: Michael T. Duke

Wal-Mart slipped to No. 2 in the Fortune 500 in 2011 after holding onto the top spot for two years in a row. The retailer was forced to aggressively cut prices to reverse its declining same store sales in the U.S. That helped push revenues up by 6% during 2011, to $447 billion, but it hurt Wal-Mart's bottom line -- profits declined by 4.6% during the year, to $15.7 billion.

The world's largest retailer has struggled to maintain growth at its U.S. stores, even as the economy has shown signs of recovery. Although the unemployment rate has fallen, the housing market remains unstable and consumer spending hasn't reflected a new attitude for many Americans.

Wal-Mart's international business continues to be a source of growth for the company -- revenues outside the U.S. rose by 13.1% last year, to $35.5 billion. But one key growth market for Wal-Mart, Mexico, recently hit a major roadblock after a sweeping New York Times story reported bribery allegations by the retailer there.

Key financials     $ millions             % change from 2010
Revenues            446,950.0             6.0
Profits                   15,699.0               -4.2
Assets                   193,406.0            
Stockholders' equity       71,315.0              
Market value (3/29/2012)            207,064.0            
Earnings per share 2011 $             4.52
Industry: General Merchandisers

3. Chevron  :  Rank: 3 (Previous rank: 3)

CEO: John S. Watson

Chevron ended 2011 on a sour note: Despite rising oil prices, the company posted its biggest profit decline in two years, largely due to losses at its U.S. refinery business. Still, the second-largest oil and gas company in the U.S. managed to post a 25% increase in revenues during the full year, to $245.6 billion, and an impressive 41% jump in profits, to $26.9 billion. Chevron is spending heavily on oil and gas projects in places like Australia, Africa, and the Gulf of Mexico -- projects that are expected to start paying off in 2014.

Chevron also continues to keep its lawyers gainfully employed. In addition to multiple ongoing legal battles, including a longstanding one in Ecuador, Chevron is now fighting an $11 billion suit brought against it for an oil spill late last year in Brazil. It's also still cleaning up after a natural gas rig in Nigeria exploded earlier this year.

Key financials     $ millions : % change from 2010
Revenues  :        245,621.0             25.1
Profits                   26,895.0               41.4
Assets                   209,474.0            
Stockholders' equity       121,382.0            
Market value (3/29/2012)            211,238.9            
Earnings per share : 2011 $           13.44
Industry: Petroleum Refining

4. ConocoPhillips  :  Rank: 4 (Previous rank: 4)

CEO: Ryan M. Lance

Big Oil may be getting a little smaller. ConocoPhillips surprised many on Wall Street last year when it announced plans to break up into two publicly traded companies, one focused on exploration and production and another on refineries and marketing, called Phillips 66. The spin-off happened on April 30. Conoco officials hope the break-up will help it compete better internationally and unlock value by attracting more investors.

This Fortune 500 list was based on 2011 results, so the new changes for ConocoPhillips shareholders aren't reflected here. If they were, we'd see Phillips 66 in the No. 4 spot instead of the parent company, ConocoPhillips. The spin-off represents about 80% of the original company's total 2011 revenue -- that still puts it ahead of the next company on this list, General Motors.

Key financials     $ millions  : % change from 2010
Revenues            237,272.0             28.3
Profits                   12,436.0               9.5
Assets                   153,230.0            
Stockholders' equity       65,224.0              
Market value (3/29/2012)            97,000.7              
Earnings per share            : 2011 $                8.97
Industry: Petroleum Refining

5. General Motors  : Rank: 5 (Previous rank: 8)

CEO: Daniel F. Akerson

Detroit has staged a comeback, and so has General Motors. The auto giant jumped three spots in the Fortune 500, from No. 8 in 2010 to No. 5 last year. Just two years after it filed for bankruptcy and received federal aid, GM posted record profits in 2011. It earned $9.2 billion, up a whopping 49% from 2010, while revenues rose 11% to $150.3 billion. GM also reclaimed its title as global sales leader after Toyota nabbed it from GM in 2008.

No one should be more pleased by those numbers than GM union workers, who negotiated a profit-sharing program as part of the company's reorganization. About 47,500 workers received checks averaging $7,000, up from $4,300 in 2010.

Key financials     $ millions             % change from 2010
Revenues            150,276.0             10.8
Profits                   9,190.0 48.9
Assets                   144,603.0            
Stockholders' equity       38,120.0              
Market value (3/29/2012)            39,629.4              
Earnings per share            : 2011 $                4.58
Industry: Motor Vehicles and Parts

6. General Electric  :  Rank: 6 (Previous rank: 6)

CEO: Jeffrey R. Immelt

General Electric managed to post strong earnings growth in 2011, despite a slight drop in revenues. Earnings rose 21% to $14.2 billion, while sales fell 2.6% to $147.6 billion. Despite that dip in sales, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt said the company's performance at the end of the year bodes well for 2012, as orders picked up in businesses ranging from energy infrastructure to health care.

Analysts remain focused on GE's industrial division, which has struggled to grow since the economy fell into recession. The company reported a record backlog of orders at the end of the year -- $200 billion, up from $191 billion. Immelt says that gives GE a strong start to its goal of growing industrial earnings by 10%.

Key financials     $ millions  :  % change  from 2010
Revenues            147,616.0             -2.6
Profits                   14,151.0               21.5
Assets                   717,242.0            
Stockholders' equity       116,438.0            
Market value (3/29/2012)            211,096.1            
Earnings per share            : 2011 $                1.23
Industry: Diversified Financials

7. Berkshire Hathaway  :  Rank: 7 (Previous rank: 7)

CEO: Warren E. Buffett

Berkshire Hathaway had its share of setbacks in 2011, but CEO Warren Buffett was still able to say that his company's book value growth handily outperformed the S&P 500. It was the 39th year he was able to make such a claim. Berkshire shareholders, on the other hand, underperformed the broader market in 2011 with their investment in the Omaha, Nebraska-based holding company.

Earnings fell by 20.9% at Berkshire in 2011, thanks in part to high catastrophe losses in its insurance business and continued sluggishness in its housing-related businesses. Total revenues rose by 5.5% to $143.7 billion. Buffett called out five businesses for their particularly strong performance, which he expects will continue to post profit growth in 2012: BNSF, Iscar, Lubrizol, Marmon Group, and MidAmerican Energy.

Key financials     $ millions  : % change : from 2010
Revenues            143,688.0             5.5
Profits                   10,254.0               -20.9
Assets                   392,647.0            
Stockholders' equity       164,850.0            
Market value (3/29/2012)            202,095.1            
Earnings per share : 2011 $           6215.00
Industry: Insurance: Property and Casualty (stock)

8. Fannie Mae  :  Rank: 8 (Previous rank: 5)

CEO: Michael J. Williams

Last year, Fannie Mae catapulted from No. 81 on the Fortune 500 to No. 5, thanks to new accounting rules. On this year's list, the government-controlled mortgage giant slipped to No. 8 after revenues fell by more than 10% to $137.5 billion. Losses for the year grew to $16.9 billion from $14 billion in 2010.

Fannie Mae continues to be dragged down by its portfolio of loans dating back to the pre-housing crash heyday. The lender has borrowed $116 billion from the government so far, and at the end of last year it sought an additional $4.6 billion to help cover its operating losses. It's difficult to see a turnaround on the horizon.

Key financials     $ millions : % change from 2010
Revenues            137,451.0             -10.6
Profits                   -16,855.0              N.A.
Assets                   3,211,484.0        
Stockholders' equity       -4,624.0               
Market value (3/29/2012)            344.5    
Earnings per share  :  2011 $         -4.61
Industry: Diversified Financials

9. Ford Motor  :  Rank: 9 (Previous rank: 10)

CEO: Alan R. Mulally

Alan Mulally, Ford's chief, is credited with gracefully navigating the American icon through one of the most disastrous periods in the U.S. auto industry's history. The former Boeing executive's most important leadership achievement took place when Ford avoided bankruptcy, the tarnishing fate that befell rivals General Motors and Chrysler in 2009. Had Ford been forced to file, the Ford family almost certainly would have lost their controlling interest. The company's stock has resumed paying a dividend during Mullaly's tenure and, more importantly, the firm is pumping out lust-worthy cars again. Profits jumped 208% last year -- growth in league with the world's oil and tech giants, not other car makers.
Key financials     $ millions :  % change from 2010
Revenues            136,264.0             5.7
Profits                   20,213.0               208.1
Assets                   178,348.0            
Stockholders' equity       15,028.0              
Market value (3/29/2012)            46,623.7              
Earnings per share : 2011 $           4.94
Industry: Motor Vehicles and Parts

10. Hewlett-Packard  :  Rank: 10 (Previous rank: 11)

CEO: Margaret C. Whitman

The world's largest computer manufacturer had another shaky year. The company's board ousted CEO Leo Apotheker after barely a year on the job. The troubled technology giant offered the top spot to former eBay boss Meg Whitman. (She had been an HP director as well as a strategic advisor at Kleiner Perkins.)

The move came at a pivotal time for HP, which is still struggling to find a path forward. In her first decisive step, Whitman announced the company would combine two of its biggest divisions, printers and PCs. Whitman is beginning her tenure with a number of other strategic consolidations across business units as well.

Key financials     $ millions  : % change from 2010
Revenues            127,245.0             1.0
Profits                   7,074.0 -19.3
Assets                   129,517.0            
Stockholders' equity       38,625.0              
Market value (3/29/2012)            46,487.3              
Earnings per share : 2011 $           3.32
Industry: Computers, Office Equipment

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