RANK,PREVIOUS YEAR RANK,SYMBOL,COMPANY NAME,EXECUTIVES NAMES/POSITIONS,ADDRESS,CITY,STATE,POST CODE,COUNTRY,PHONE NUMBER,FAX NUMBER,WEB SITE,INDUSTRY,TYPE,WORLD RANK,EMPLOYEES,EMPLOYEES GROWTH %,SALES,SALES GROWTH %,PROFIT,PROFIT GROWTH %,ASSETS mil,STOCK HOLDERS EQUITY mil,MARKET VALUE mil,EARNINGS PER SHARE USD,RETURN TO INVESTORS %,COMPANY DESCRIPTION
"1","2","NYSE:WMT","Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.","S. Robson Walton - Chairman | David D. Glass - Chairman of the Executive Committee | H. Lee Scott Jr. - President and CEO, Director | Thomas M. Schoewe - EVP and CFO | John B. Menzer - EVP; President and CEO, Wal-Mart International Division","702 SW Eighth St.","Bentonville","AR","72716","USA","479-273-4000","479-273-1917","http://www.walmartstores.com","General Merchandisers","","1","1,383,000","11.2","219,812.0","13.7","6,671.0","6.0","83,375.0","35,102.0","277,542.9","1.49","8.9","Wal-Mart Stores is an irresistible (or at least unavoidable) retail force that has yet to meet any immovable objects. Bigger than Carrefour, Royal Ahold, and Kroger combined, it is the world's #1 retailer, with about 4,600 stores, including discount stores (Wal-Mart), combination discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Supercenters and ASDA in the UK), and membership-only warehouse stores (Sam's Club). Most of its stores are in the US, but Wal-Mart is expanding internationally; it is the #1 retailer in Canada and Mexico. Wal-Mart also has operations in South America, Asia, and Europe. Subsidiary McLane Company is the #1 convenience store distributor in the US. Founder Sam Walton's heirs own about 38% of Wal-Mart."
"49","53","NYSE:PFE","Pfizer Inc","Henry A. (Hank) McKinnell - Chairman, President, and CEO; President, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group | David L. Shedlarz - EVP and CFO | Karen L. Katen - EVP; President, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group and US Pharmaceuticals | Jeffery B. Kindler - SVP and General Counsel | Robert W. Norton - SVP, Corporate Human Resources","235 E. 42nd St.","New York","NY","10017-5755","USA","212-573-2323","212-573-7851","http://www.pfizer.com","Pharmaceuticals","","127","90,000","0.0","32,259.0","9.1","7,788.0","109.0","39,153.0","18,293.0","251,154.5","1.22","-12.5","Pfizer pfabricates pfarmaceuticals pfor quite a pfew inpfirmities. The company's products include erectile dysfunction therapy Viagra, cardiovascular drug Norvasc, antidepressant Zoloft, and cholesterol-lowering Lipitor. In addition to prescription drugs, the firm makes OTC remedies, including halitosis hiders Certs and Dentyne; sniffle-and-sneeze treatments Benadryl and Sudafed; and a plethora of other products. Pfizer also keeps Fluffy and Fido in mind with its animal health products, including Revolution (antiparasitic). Subsidiaries in the Pfizer pharmaceutical group include Warner-Lambert, Parke-Davis, and Goedecke."
"50","43","NYSE:JCP","J. C. Penney Company, Inc.","Allen I. Questrom - Chairman and CEO | Vanessa J. Castagna - EVP, President, and COO, JCPenney Stores, Merchandising, Catalog, and Internet | Robert B. Cavanaugh - EVP and CFO | Gary L. Davis - EVP and Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer | Stephen F. Raish - EVP and CIO","6501 Legacy Dr.","Plano","TX","75024-3698","USA","972-431-1000","972-431-1362","http://www.jcpenney.net","General Merchandisers","","124","229,000","-14.2%","32,004.0","-2.9","98.0","","18,241.0","6,063.0","5,777.5","0.26","153.4","J. C. Penney Company was created in early 2002 as a holding company for department store operator J. C. Penney Corporation, which exchanged the ""Company"" in its 89-year-old moniker for ""Corporation"" after the holding company was formed."
"51","47","NYSE:MET","Metropolitan Life Insurance Company","Robert H. Benmosche - Chairman, President, and CEO | Stewart G. Nagler - Vice Chairman and CFO | Gerald Clark - Vice Chairman and CIO | William J. Toppeta - President, International | C. Robert Henrikson - President, Institutional Business","1 Madison Ave.","New York","NY","10010","USA","212-578-2211","212-578-3320","http://www.metlife.com","Insurance: Life, Health (stock)","","128","46,000","-1.5","31,928.0","-0.1","473.0","-50.4","257,593.0","16,109.0","22,765.2","0.62","-8.9","The name says ""city,"" but the company is coast-to-coast and then some. Metropolitan Life Insurance (MetLife) is one of the largest insurers in the US, offering life and property & casualty insurance (including home and auto coverage), as well as savings, retirement, and other financial services for groups and individuals. Insurance affiliates include GenAmerica, Metropolitan Property and Casualty, and Texas Life. Its State Street Research subsidiary provides asset management services to institutions and individuals. The company entered the retail banking business when it purchased New Jersey-based Grand Bank and renamed it MetLife Bank."
"497","541","AMEX:DVN","Devon Energy Corporation","John W. Nichols - Chairman Emeritus | J. Larry Nichols - Chairman, President, and CEO | Duke R. Ligon - SVP and General Counsel | Marian J. Moon - SVP Administration | John Richels - SVP Canadian Division","20 N. Broadway, Ste. 1500","Oklahoma City","OK","73102-8260","USA","405-235-3611","405-552-4667","http://www.devonenergy.com","Mining, Crude-Oil Production","","","2,826","61.5%","3,075.0","10.4","103.0","-85.9","13,184.0","3,259.0","7,233.9","0.72","-36.3","Independent oil and gas producer Devon Energy is buying its way into the big leagues. With its acquisitions of PennzEnergy, Northstar Energy, and Santa Fe Snyder, Devon has become an oil and gas heavyweight. It got even stouter by buying Anderson Exploration, and Mitchell Energy & Development. Devon has proved reserves of 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, mostly in the US (Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming). The company also has exploration and production assets in the Gulf of Mexico, western Canada and in most of the major oil patches worldwide."
"498","514","NYSE:SEE","Sealed Air Corporation","William V. Hickey - President, CEO, and Director | Robert A. Pesci - SVP | David H. Kelsey - VP and CFO | Jonathan B. Baker - VP | James A. Bixby - VP","Park 80 East","Saddle Brook","NJ","07663-5291","USA","201-791-7600","201-703-4205","http://www.sealedaircorp.com","Packaging, Containers","","","17,700","-0.3","3,067.5","0.0","156.7","-30.5","3,907.9","850.2","3,871.4","1.22","33.8","It's no secret -- Sealed Air keeps its customers' products under wraps. Sealed Air's largest product segment, food packaging, produces Cryovac shrink films, absorbent pads, and foam trays used used by food proocessors and supermarkets to protect meat and poultry. Its protective and specialty packaging segments produce Bubble Wrap, Instapak foam, Jiffy envelopes, and Rapid Fill inflatable packaging systems. Its nonpackaging products include adhesive tape, solar pool covers, and recycled kraft paper. Sealed Air's products reach about 80% of the world's population."
"499","472","NYSE:HLT","Hilton Hotels Corporation","Barron Hilton - Chairman | Stephen F. Bollenbach - President, CEO, and Director | Matthew J. Hart - EVP and CFO | Dieter H. Huckestein - EVP and Director; President, Hotel Operations Owned and Managed | Thomas L. Keltner - EVP; President, Brand Performance and Franchise Development Group","9336 Civic Center Dr.","Beverly Hills","CA","90210","USA","310-278-4321","310-205-7678","http://www.hilton.com","Hotels, Casinos, Resorts","","","74,000","-3.9","3,050.0","-11.6","166.0","-39.0","8,785.0","1,783.0","5,048.3","0.45","4.8","If you need a bed for the night, Hilton Hotels has a few hundred thousand of them. The company's lodging empire includes some 2,000 hotels. In addition to the Hilton brand, other well-known names such as Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn are part of the Hilton family. Hilton's hotels mostly are located in the US, but the company does manage and own some properties in about 15 other countries. Hilton also operates 21 vacation ownership resorts in the US and owns the famed Waldorf-Astoria and Palmer House hotels in New York and Chicago, respectively."
"500","468","NYSE:NYT","The New York Times Company","Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. - Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times | Michael Golden - Vice Chairman, SVP, and Director | Russell T. Lewis - President, CEO, and Director | Leonard P. (Len) Forman - SVP and CFO | Solomon B. Watson IV - SVP and General Counsel","229 W. 43rd St.","New York","NY","10036","USA","212-556-1234","212-556-7389","http://www.nytco.com","Publishing, Printing","","","12,050","-13.9","3,042.5","-12.8","444.7","11.9","3,438.7","1,149.7","7,028.2","2.78","9.3","""All the News That's Fit to Print, Broadcast, or Post Online"" would be a more accurate motto for this media titan. The New York Times Company publishes one of the world's most respected newspapers, The New York Times, as well as large Massachusetts papers The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette . It also owns 15 smaller newspapers, the International Herald Tribune, and two newspaper distributors and has stakes in two paper mills in the US and Canada. In addition, the company operates eight TV and two radio stations, runs more than 40 Web sites (through New York Times Digital), and offers wire and photo services."
"501","482","NYSE:HUG","Hughes Supply, Inc.","David H. Hughes - Chairman and CEO | Thomas I. Morgan - President, COO, and Director | J. Stephen Zepf - CFO | Clyde E. Hughes III - Group President | Michael L. Stanwood - Group President","20 N. Orange Ave., Ste. 200","Orlando","FL","32801","USA","407-841-4755","407-872-1895","http://www.hughessupply.com","Wholesalers: Diversified","","","7,156","-7.1","3,037.7","-8.2","44.1","-5.3","1,293.3","594.5","903.5","1.88","74.9","Hughes Supply could be called huge supply, distributing more than 240,000 products to customers in the construction, public infrastructure, and industrial markets. It operates five broad organized groups: water and sewer (31% of sales), plumbing and HVAC (30%), electrical (19%), building materials, and industrial pipe, valves, and fittings (PVF). Hughes buys from more than 13,000 suppliers and manufacturers and sells to more than 75,000 professional customers, who mainly buy in bulk. Hughes has about 435 branches and six central distribution centers in the US and Mexico."
"502","593","NYSE:VMC","Vulcan Materials Company","W. Houston Blount - Chairman Emeritus | Donald M. James - Chairman and CEO | Mark E. Tomkins - SVP, CFO, and Treasurer | Robert A. Wason IV - SVP, Corporate Development | William F. Denson III - SVP, General Counsel, and Secretary","1200 Urban Center Dr.","Birmingham","AL","35242","USA","205-298-3000","205-298-2960","http://www.vulcanmaterials.com","Building Materials, Glass","","","9,510","2.1","3,019.2","10.0","222.7","1.3","3,398.2","1,604.3","4,855.1","2.17","2.0","The road to just about everywhere is paved with Vulcan's good intentions. Vulcan Materials is the largest US producer of construction aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, and sand used in virtually all construction, from highways to housing), which it sells primarily to the private sector. It also produces industrial and specialty chemicals. The construction materials unit (about 75% of sales) operates about 200 aggregates plants, as well as about 100 other production and distribution facilities, in the US and Mexico. Vulcan's chemicals businesses make chlor-alkali and process chemicals (such as chlorine, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid) for pulp and paper processing, water treatment, and other industrial uses."
"998","967","NASDAQ:AMSY","American Management Systems, Incorporated","Alfred T. Mockett - Chairman and CEO | John S. Brittain Jr. - EVP, CFO, and Treasurer | Paul A. Turner - EVP and CTO | David R. Fontaine - EVP, General Counsel, and Chief Risk Officer | Garry Griffiths - EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer","4050 Legato Rd.","Fairfax","VA","22033","USA","703-267-8000","703-267-5073","http://www.ams.com","Computer & Data Services","","","7,000","-17.6","1,183.3","-7.5","15.9","-63.7","607.5","376.5","1,018.5","0.38","-8.7","American Management Systems (AMS) is coming to a system near you. AMS is an international business and information technology (IT) consulting company that caters to corporations and government agencies. The company offers business reengineering; change management; and systems development, integration, and implementation services. AMS provides government and educational institutions with human resources and financial and revenue management services, and telecommunications clients with risk management and customer care and billing services. It also provides financial institutions with international trade and pension services, as well as customer value, global risk, and cash management consulting."
"999","","NYSE:BCR","C. R. Bard, Inc.","William H. Longfield - Chairman and CEO | Guy J. Jordan - Group President | Timothy M. Ring - Group President | John H. Weiland - Group President | Charles P. Slacik - SVP and CFO","730 Central Ave.","Murray Hill","NJ","07974","USA","908-277-8000","908-277-8240","http://www.crbard.com","Medical Products & Equipment","","","7,700","-4.9%","1,181.3","7.5","143.2","34.0","1,231.1","788.7","2,880.3","2.75","40.8","From diagnosis to cure, C. R. Bard wants to be there. The medical devices company, noted for its Foley urological catheters, supplies products for the continuum of care from diagnosis to cure. The company focuses on urology, vascular, and oncology products. Devices include stents; catheters; guidewires; implantable fabrics and meshes; and fluid collection systems. Bard also makes special surgical tools, including devices for laparoscopic and orthopedic procedures and for hernia repair. Bard has operations in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and North America."
"1000","894","NASDAQ:TROW","T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.","George A. Roche - Chairman and President | James S. Riepe - Vice Chairman and Managing Director | M. David Testa - Vice Chairman, Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Director | Edward C. Bernard - Managing Director | James A. C. Kennedy - Managing Director","100 E. Pratt St.","Baltimore","MD","21202","USA","410-345-2000","410-345-2394","http://www.troweprice.com","Specialty Retailers","","","3,600","-10.0","1,181.0","-18.5","7.2","-77.2","244.2","147.2","283.0","0.29","42.9","Being mutually beneficial for its clients and for itself is the goal at T. Rowe Price Group. The company administers an eponymous family of mutual funds, offering a wide variety of investment vehicles, as well as asset management advisory services (including retirement plan advice for individuals) and discount brokerage. Other services include corporate retirement plan management and transfer agent and shareholder services. T. Rowe Price manages about 80 funds in all. Generally oriented toward value investing, the funds offer a product for every risk and taxation profile, including small-, mid-, and large-cap funds; money market funds; and bond funds, taxable and nontaxable."