Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) has retained its status as the “most respected” public company in the world, as selected by a group of U.S. money managers in a survey conducted by Barron’s magazine.
The publication asked 92 money managers to rank the world’s 100 largest companies (by market cap) according to how much respect they have for them. Such criteria as sound business strategy,” strong management, ethical business practices and competitive edge were often cited as generating the most respect for a corporation.
Perhaps not surprisingly, all of the ten most-respected firms are based in the U.S.
Here are the top ten most respected companies:
Coke’s rival PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) jumped in rank from 17th place. With massive operations in both soft drink and snacks (including the Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Tropicana and Quaker brands) Pepsico posted a 5 percent decline in its fourth quarter profits, due to higher commodity costs, although revenue surged to $18.1 billion from $13.3 billion, boosted by the acquisition of two bottlers last year. PepsiCo’s markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa are flourishing.Reuters The industrial products firm 3M, Forbes says, is constantly innovating and acquiring businesses to stay ahead of the curve. A year of strong financial performance raised its profile and enhanced its reputation as a company.
"The people of 3M have always understood the compelling nature of character and integrity as the defining elements of our reputation," George W. Buckley, 3M's chief executive, told Reputation Institute. "This reputational foundation is the critical element in building the trust of our customers in 3M as we work towards their success, as well as our own. Technology and integrity are the combined glue that holds 3M together."
ReutersJumping from 13th place last year, Coca-Cola ()NYSE: KO) is probably the most famous and recognizable commercial brand in history and remains a widely admired company on Wall Street.
Coke’s recent earnings surged as a result of its late 2010 acquisition of its North American bottling operations. Both Coke and its major rival
PepsiCo purchased their North American bottlers last year in order to
cut costs and give them more control over distribution.
Reuters“Big blue” International Business Machines(NYSE: IBM) maintained its 4th place ranking. Virtually a proxy for blue-chip U.S. corporations (and an indicator of how much businesses spend on technology), this “old school” company has managed to survive and prosper amidst the aggressive entry of young tech upstarts over the past few decades.
Its fourth quarter earnings jumped 16 percent from a year ago while net income surged 9 percent.
IBM, which has been around since 1911, is still the world’s largest IT company in terms of sales.
IBTIMESWarren Buffet’s conglomerate climbed two spaces from last year, remaining one of the most admired companies on earth (likely more of a reflection of the huge admiration Mr. Buffett himself enjoys from both Wall Street and the public).
Back in late 2008, just after Lehman Brothers collapsed and sent shockwaves throughout the financial community, Berkshire-Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) bought preferred stock in Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). Shares have almost doubled since then.
REUTERSJumping from 10th place last year to second is Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), the company that revolutionized retail sales by providing an easy online platform to buy consumer products.
In the fourth quarter, the company posted higher-than-expected profit, although revenues fell slightly short of expectations. Still, Amazon posted a 40 percent jump in sales over 2009. Moreover, its third-generation Kindles have now overtaken paperback books as the most popular format on Amazon.com.
ReutersNow the second largest company on the planet (behind only Exxon-Mobil), Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) continues to pile up huge revenues on wildly successful products like iPhones and iPads. In late January, the company crushed analyst’s estimates by posting a 71 percent increase in quarterly earnings. Not even the recent decision by CEO Stave Jobs to take a medical leave has tarnished even higher expectations for this tech behemoth.REUTERS
