There are many ways to rank CEOs, but for investors, what matters most is delivering performance and delivering it consistently.
To determine the top CEOs in America, CNNMoney looked at total returns for S&P 500 stocks from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014. Companies that had a CEO change during that time frame were excluded.
Each S&P 500 stock was then ranked by its sector-adjusted total return. To determine that metric, CNNMoney subtracted the returns of each stock's sector. For example, Regeneron's (REGN) 398% total return was subtracted by the S&P 500 health care sector's 82% return.
