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AMERICA'S MOST ADMIRED COMPANIES

Top 20 Most Admired Companies

To create the top 20 for our 25th annual rankings, Fortune and its survey partners at Hay Group asked 3,322 executives, directors, and securities analysts to select the 10 companies they admire most. Having fresh ideas and being green are among the qualities that distinguish this year's winners.

4 of 20

Berkshire Hathaway

Top 20 Rank: 4

Rank among: Insurance: Property and Casualty: 1

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it." The man who coined this aphorism, Warren Buffett, knows a thing or two about great reputations: His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has long been a fixture on our list of America's Most Admired Companies.

Buffett burnished his reputation even more in June 2006, when he announced plans to give away the bulk of his $40 billion fortune, much of it to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

More: See how Berkshire rates in 8 key areas.

Blog: What do you think of the top 20 Most Admired Companies?

See how 306 top companies rate in 8 key areas, plus post your thoughts on our Most Admired Companies blog. (more)

Target's fashion statement

Here's a look at some of the looks behind Proenza Schouler for Target, no. 13 on America's Most Admired list. (more)

Toyota's all-American ads

From Elvis to Beyoncé: How Toyota, no. 3 on Fortune's list of America's Most Admired Companies, keeps rolling. (more)

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