20. International Business Machines
Sales at Big Blue were down – as was its Fortune 500 ranking – but that doesn't mean it was an entirely bad year. Earnings and cash flow were stronger than ever despite the recession, thanks to a continued focus on selling high-margin software and services that are designed to help businesses save money and find customers. Another sign of a solid 2009: Two of the most powerful enterprise technology companies in Silicon Valley, Hewlett-Packard and Oracle, regularly singled out IBM as a chief rival. Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but vilification is a close second. --Jon Fortt |
| Key financials |
$ millions |
% change
from 2008 |
| Revenues |
95,758.0 |
-7.6 |
| Profits |
13,425.0 |
8.8 |
| Assets |
109,022.0 |
— |
| Stockholders' equity |
22,637.0 |
— |
| Market value (3/26/2010) |
167,909.1 |
— |
| Profits as % of |
|
| Revenues |
14.0 |
| Assets |
12.3 |
| Stockholders' equity |
59.3 |
| Earnings per share |
|
| 2009 $ |
10.01 |
| % change from 2008 |
12.1 |
| 1999-2009 annual growth rate % |
9.3 |
| Total return to investors |
% |
| 2009 |
58.6 |
| 1999-2009 annual rate |
3.0 |
|
Interactives
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See how revenues and profits at America's 25 largest companies have risen and fallen over the past decade.
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From a single store in 1962 to more than 4,300 outlets today, see how the biggest retailer has expanded.
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