America's Most Admired Companies 2008

Top 20 Most Admired Companies

To create the top 20, Fortune and its survey partners at Hay Group asked the experts -- in this case, more than 3,700 people from dozens of industries -- to select the 10 companies they admire most. This year's winners all have strong records of innovation, leadership, and financial strength -- and their employees know it.
American Express
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American Express
Top 20 rank: 13
Rank in Megabanks, credit card cos.: 1
American Express was one of the few Wall Street giants to escape subprime trouble, but it still got whacked by the deteriorating economy. Investors had hoped AmEx would sail through the slowdown; instead the company announced (after our Most Admired survey was complete) that profits fell last quarter. The stock dropped, but that looks like a bump in the road, as the company has been a stellar performer for the past seven years under CEO Ken Chenault.  -Geoff Colvin
See how American Express rates in 8 key areas
Last updated March 03 2008: 2:10 PM ET

Apple
Berkshire Hathaway
General Electric
Google
Toyota Motor
Starbucks
FedEx
Procter & Gamble
Johnson & Johnson
Goldman Sachs
Target
Southwest Airlines
American Express
BMW
Costco
Microsoft
UPS
Cisco Systems
3M
Nordstrom
More most admired
Most admired: Full list
Most admired: Full list
See how 317 top companies rate in 8 key areas. (more)
Most admired in your state
Most admired in your state
California is home to the most corporations on this year's list. See the top-rated firms near you. (more)
Game: How admirable are you?
Game: How admirable are you?
Can you match each quote to the Most Admired company it refers to? See how admirably you score. (more)
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