Even a company with ultra-slim margins can churn out a billion-dollar profit -- if it sells nearly $1 billion worth of stuff, that is.
Drug distributor Cardinal Health simplified itself in 2009 by spinning off its higher-end clinical and medical products group, now CareFusion. As a result, the company boosted its stock price and narrowed its focus. It also has a new CEO, drug-industry veteran George Barrett, who helped Cardinal move beyond embarrassing earnings re-statements in past years. --Adam Lashinsky
