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5. Wal-Mart Stores
Fortune rank: 5
2008 profit: $13.40 Billion
The combination of Wal-Mart's roll-back prices and consumers hurt by the highest unemployment rates since 1993 drove profits up 5% at the world's biggest retailer.

The company's stock returned 18% in 2008, making it the top performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Wal-Mart looks poised to benefit from a lingering recession in 2009, recently revamped stores and hundreds of grocery products in its Great Value line.

NEXT: Johnson & Johnson
Last updated April 20 2009: 11:09 AM ET
2009 Fortune 500
Top 50
Top 50
Exxon Mobil pushes Wal-Mart aside to retake the No. 1 slot this year. Which other companies made the top 50 this year? More
They're hiring!
They're hiring!
As many big companies are announcing mass layoffs, these Fortune 100 employers have at least 150 openings each. More
The biggest losers
The biggest losers
Companies from AIG to United Airlines, from ConocoPhillips to Motorola lost billions of dollars last year. Who lost the most? More
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