(FORTUNE Magazine) – Quick-fired with peanuts, chilis, and scallions, the kung pao scallops at P.F. Chang's new spinoff, Pei Wei Asian Diner, pack a wallop, yet they're nowhere near as sizzling as the company's three-year average annual earnings growth of 166%. The chain is one of 69 list newcomers, eight more than last year. But change is good: Turnover made room for names you've heard of like eBay (No. 16) and MGM Mirage (No. 66), as well as many you haven't.

To make the list, compiled by Zacks Investment Research, companies had to have at least $50 million in revenue over the past four quarters, a minimum market cap of $50 million, and annual sales and EPS growth of at least 25% for three straight years. We also factored in total return to investors. This year energy and health-care firms were well represented, but tech names were few aside from No. 1, graphics chipmaker Nvidia. And even it has stumbled: In April an ongoing SEC inquiry forced the company to restate earnings for the past three fiscal years. Then in July shares lost a third of their value after Nvidia said it would miss revenue forecasts.

Overall, this year's growth didn't set any records. But as the Chinese proverb goes, "Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still." --Matthew Boyle

REPORTER ASSOCIATES Scott Krady, Jessica Sung

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] EARNINGS-PER- NET INCOME Revenue REVENUE TOTAL RETURN SHARE GROWTH past four growth past four Three-yr. Three-yr. quarters Three-yr. quarters annual rate annual rate (millions) annual rate (millions) (blue=beat RANK RANK S&P 500)* RANK

[F] [G] STOCK PRICE P/E 1-yr. increase est. one year (from 7/31/01) forward Price on 7/31/02

2002 RANK (2001 RANK) FORTUNE's list is determined by how companies rank in EPS growth, revenue growth, and total return

Comments

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G]

NVIDIA SANTA CLARA, CALIF.

1 189% $234.5 104% $1,713.4 53%[blue] -73% 7 2 4 18 $11.07

Nvidia's graphics chips are cool; an ongoing SEC accounting inquiry and a tumbling stock price are not.

DYNACQ INTERNATIONAL HOUSTON

2 115% $13.2 59% $54.0 115%[blue] -21% 15 14 23 2 $13.64

Dynacq doctors focus on a small number of high-margin medical specialties like neurosurgery at a handful of private facilities.

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO SCOTTSDALE

3 166% $16.9 60% $343.9 43%[blue] 53% 39 5 19 28 $31.22

Cheap Chinese is the recipe for success: Revenues have grown at a a quick clip since Chang's turned an annual profit in 1998.

FRONTIER OIL HOUSTON

4 109% $103.4 104% $1,793.6 38%[blue] 12% 53 16 5 32 $14.40 Frontier markets gas under the CITGO brand and to wholesalers; it saw its stock slip recently as diesel-fuel and crude-oil earnings fell.

XTO ENERGY FORT WORTH

5 117% $247.1 53% $769.6 46%[blue] 19% 12 13 29 22 $17.95

XTO treasures what many of its rivals trash, drilling undervalued domestic properties for natural gas.

PATINA OIL & GAS DENVER

6 106% $58.1 45% $201.5 77%[blue] 10% 12 17 46 8 $23.45

Patina's stock price, up 74% in two years, has risen in tandem with its natural gas production at Colorado's Wattenberg Field.

QUICKSILVER RESOURCES FORT WORTH

6 62% $12.1 69% $128.8 56%[blue] 35% 31 40 15 16 $21.50

Quicksilver hunts nontraditional energy sources like shale gas and coal-bed methane, setting it apart from natural gas rivals.

CYTYC BOXBOROUGH, MASS.

8 92% $14.7 70% $241.6 33%[blue] -65% 22 21 14 43 $8.61

Cytyc's ThinPrep Pap competes with the Pap smear; the test developer also has a breast-cancer risk test.

ST. MARY LAND & EXPLORATION DENVER

9 10,231% $22.4 49% $181.9 33%[blue] -4% 26 1 36 42 $20.59

Hail, Mary! This 94-year-old company ranks No. 1 on our list in terms of earnings growth. BP is a big customer.

HOT TOPIC CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF.

10 63% $28.9 49% $353.1 81%[blue] -13% 15 (13) 38 38 6 $15.55

Fashionable teens flock to this superhip apparel chain; the company recently launched Torrid to clothe plus-sized women.

QUEST DIAGNOSTICS TETERBORO, N.J.

10 97% $193.2 39% $3,691.7 85%[blue] -13% 20 (58) 20 58 4 $60.39

The nation's largest medical testing company, Quest processes 250 million tests--from cholesterol to DNA analysis--a year.

CORINTHIAN COLLEGES SANTA ANA, CALIF.

12 111% $34.5 35% $310.0 93%[blue] 36% 30 15 67 3 $31.55

This for-profit education firm saw online registration rise 255% last year; its campuses now number 61 in 20 states.

PENN NATIONAL GAMING WYOMISSING, PA.

12 56% $23.9 54% $567.8 58%[blue] 60% 14 (59) 45 27 13 $15.60

Slots have helped betting company Penn offset falling attendance at its West Virginia racetrack, one of three it owns.

CHRISTOPHER & BANKS PLYMOUTH, MINN.

14 78% $36.1 37% $296.1 146%[blue] 90% 21 26 60 1 $34.01

A mall-based clothing retailer catering to professional women, C&B has had 17 straight quarters of earnings growth.

UNIT TULSA

15 176% $46.2 47% $227.5 29%[blue] 19% 22 4 42 49 $15.70

This rent-a-driller searches for gushers in Oklahoma and Texas and on the Gulf Coast on behalf of smaller oil and gas outfits.

EBAY SAN JOSE

16 182% $117.0 111% $839.8 -7%[blue] -9% 74 3 3 91 $57.09

Recently added to the S&P 500, seven-year-old eBay is flourishing with new international auctions and big sellers like Home Depot.

ACCREDO HEALTH MEMPHIS

17 126% $27.0 35% $589.8 47%[blue] 57% 25 10 69 21 $47.70

Accredo overnights specialized biopharmaceuticals to patients with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis and hemophilia.

EVERGREEN RESOURCES DENVER

18 67% $25.9 87% $103.2 19%[blue] -3% 32 33 7 64 $35.25

Over the past five years oil and gas producer Evergreen boasts the lowest drilling costs among its independent peers.

SIEBEL SYSTEMS SAN MATEO, CALIF.

19 150% $242.3 84% $1,937.5 -5%[blue] -73% 23 (2) 6 10 89 $9.40

No. 2 on last year's list, Siebel has seen its growth slow with the tech meltdown. But it's still the leading CRM software company.

METRO ONE TELECOMM. BEAVERTON, ORE.

20 89% $28.8 76% $244.9 15%[blue] -61% 13 (21) 23 13 71 $14.85

Where was that restaurant again? Metro One operates 30 directory- assistance call centers for cellphone users.

MURPHY OIL EL DORADO, ARK.

20 55% $235.6 115% $15,111.0 22%[blue] 9% 42 46 2 59 $83.15

The company offers gas on the go, operating most of its 800 Murphy USA and SPUR stations in Wal-Mart parking lots.

SHAW GROUP BATON ROUGE

22 40% $77.5 53% $1,799.7 57%[blue] -28% 10 63 30 15 $23.33

Smokin' pipes: Founded as an industrial pipe-part maker, Shaw recently expanded into areas like power-plant engineering.

KING PHARMACEUTICALS BRISTOL, TENN.

23 43% $245.1 67% $949.0 37%[blue] -53% 16 59 16 34 $21.21

Big Pharma's castoffs are King's crown jewels: It has acquired and repositioned 50 drugs since the company was founded in 1994.

MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES ATLANTA

23 64% $17.4 38% $157.3 57%[blue] -29% 26 36 59 14 $22.24

Not the weakest link! Manhattan provides supply-chain software and services for companies like Calvin Klein and Brookstone.

SICOR IRVINE, CALIF.

25 126% $88.9 27% $395.1 63%[blue] -36% 19 9 92 11 $15.95

Sicor makes generic injectable drugs for conditions like testicular and prostate cancer. Slow sales forecasts have weighed on the stock.

FOREST LABORATORIES NEW YORK

26 75% $338.0 37% $1,601.8 45%[blue] -1% 33 (25) 30 62 23 $77.47

Forest's Celexa is the fastest-growing antidepressant in the U.S. It accounted for 69% of the company's sales in the last fiscal year.

FIRST BANKS AMERICA CLAYTON, MO.

27 49% $37.6 60% $228.7 29%[blue] 36% N.A. 50 20 47 $39.50

This family-owned bank, which has been around since 1910, has outposts in California, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas.

APACHE HOUSTON

28 81% $507.2 53% $2,509.4 18%[blue] 9% 15 (97) 25 28 67 $51.50

Though second-quarter earnings fell on lower energy prices, this oil driller's stock is up 40% from its September low.

ADVANCEPCS IRVING, TEXAS

29 46% $116.0 168% $13,107.3 16%[blue] -28% 14 (33) 53 1 69 $22.42

A Justice Department probe into drug rebate practices has pressured the pharmacy-benefits company's stock.

IDEC PHARMACEUTICALS SAN DIEGO

30 50% $110.5 44% $295.9 40%[blue] -17% 55 (43) 49 47 30 $44.59

IDEC's niche is cancer and autoimmune-disease treatments; sales of cancer drug Rituxan rose 43% over the past year.

ZOLL MEDICAL BURLINGTON, MASS.

30 142% $8.3 28% $133.4 39%[blue] -12% 29 (35) 7 88 31 $32.14

Zoll makes pacemakers and defibrillators. Shockingly, it just debuted a defibrillator for use in airports and health clubs.

PIXAR EMERYVILLE, CALIF.

32 76% $43.6 77% $91.2 1%[blue] 5% 35 (32) 29 12 86 $43.99

Monsters, Inc. and three other animated hits helped Pixar rake in more than $1.5 billion in worldwide box office sales since 1995.

ORLEANS HOMEBUILDERS BENSALEM, PA.

33 45% $16.1 35% $352.1 66%[blue] 117% N.A. 54 66 10 $6.90

This 80-year-old builder specializes in East Coast homes. Low mortgage rates have jazzed the stock up 117% in the past year.

ARTHROCARE SUNNYVALE, CALIF.

34 122% $8.5 48% $84.3 8%[blue] -57% 38 11 39 82 $12.85

ArthroCare's patented surgical technology corrects damaged cartilage and is also used in spinal and cosmetic surgery.

ENGINEERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS ST. LOUIS

34 28% $19.1 55% $385.2 77%[blue] 32% 20 100 25 7 $48.03

Engineered makes military gear like radar systems and generators. Ninety-four percent of sales are to the U.S. government.

NATIONAL HOME HEALTH CARE SCARSDALE, N.Y.

34 69% $5.5 33% $80.9 44%[blue] 15% N.A. 32 75 25 $10.15

Nursing at home is National's niche. The company operates in and around New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

MICROMUSE SAN FRANCISCO

37 77% $9.9 86% $182.5 -28% -80% 28 27 9 97 $3.09

Companies like Schwab and Earthlink use Micromuse's Netcool software to freeze network service meltdowns.

SCANSOURCE GREENVILLE, S.C.

37 41% $19.1 46% $781.2 42%[blue] 20% 17 (56) 60 44 29 $58.50

ScanSource turns data into dollars with its bar-code scanners and magnetic-stripe readers (think supermarket checkouts).

INVESTORS FINAN. SERVICES BOSTON

39 41% $55.9 40% $513.2 50%[blue] -17% 30 60 54 20 $30.77

Back offices are their bread and butter. Funds, banks, and insurance companies outsource number crunching to Investors.

BERRY PETROLEUM BAKERSFIELD, CALIF.

40 88% $25.5 51% $117.4 9%[blue] -2% 12 (88) 24 34 79 $15.75

This 93-year-old oil producer has been diversifying into natural gas; its stock has held up despite industry volatility.

COMPUDYNE HANOVER, MD.

40 55% $4.1 51% $128.0 22%[blue] 2% 10 47 33 57 $8.70

Paging Tom Ridge! This security company designs everything from prisons to shoreland defense systems.

POLYMEDICA WOBURN, MASS.

42 47% $30.4 41% $279.7 37%[blue] -7% 9 (75) 51 51 36 $32.72

The Department of Justice has an open fraud probe into this diabetes-test maker, and the CEO resigned in early August.

ACTRADE FINAN. TECHNOLOGIES NEW YORK

43 59% $30.8 90% $67.2 -7%[blue] -90% 1 41 6 92 $2.58

A financial middleman, this B2B firm collects debts on behalf of business customers. An SEC accounting inquiry is ongoing.

AMERICREDIT FORT WORTH

44 47% $322.7 54% $1,114.4 21%[blue] -68% 4 (68) 52 26 63 $19.55

AmeriCredit is a car-loan lender of last resort. Worries about delinquencies and bad-loan losses have been a drag on the stock.

NEWFIELD EXPLORATION HOUSTON

44 63% $76.9 60% $688.1 9%[blue] -6% 18 39 22 80 $31.54

Since 1995 reserves and production have grown at a 25% annual clip as this oil producer has explored new fields abroad.

WESTCORP IRVINE, CALIF.

44 44% $54.8 37% $1,077.7 45%[blue] -3% N.A. 56 61 24 $19.81

Westcorp provides auto loans through subsidiary WFS and commercial banking services through Western Financial.

POGO PRODUCING HOUSTON

47 63% $57.0 46% $578.6 21%[blue] 25% 24 37 43 62 $31.00

Pogo sticks to oil and gas, drilling everywhere from Thailand to Hungary. It acquired North Central Oil in March 2001.

MTR GAMING GROUP CHESTER, W. VA.

48 32% $16.4 40% $229.2 81%[blue] 15% 12 85 56 5 $12.48

Sin cities: MTR's racetrack cum resort in West Virginia is very Vegas, but the company also owns gaming properties in Nevada.

SONIC AUTOMOTIVE CHARLOTTE, N.C.

49 38% $87.9 60% $6,431.1 23%[blue] 2% 8 (15) 72 20 55 $19.98

Sonic has revved up from five to 137 car dealerships in just five years; sales have been spurred by 0% financing.

OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM LOS ANGELES

50 135% $695.0 34% $12,035.0 17%[blue] -2% 13 8 73 68 $27.09

Oil and gas coexist with chemicals like chlorine and polymers at Occidental. The company ranks an impressive eighth in EPS growth.

MEMBERWORKS STAMFORD, CONN.

51 104% $29.9 43% $448.9 -14% -31% 9 18 49 9 $15.00

Members only: 6.5 million people have joined this marketing company's club to get clothing, health-care, and travel discounts.

STRYKER KALAMAZOO, MICH.

51 118% $284.0 28% $2,671.0 21%[blue] -16% 30 12 89 61 $50.62

Stryker's hip implants and orthopedic products are saviors; the company recently acquired a spinal-implant maker from Tyco.

HUDSON RIVER BANCORP HUDSON, N.Y.

53 56% $19.5 30% $145.5 36%[blue] 37% N.A. 44 82 37 $26.14

Profits are flowing at Hudson, which has thrived with a simple mix of deposit accounts, mortgages, and loans.

CORPORATE EXECUTIVE BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C.

54 59% $23.5 34% $135.9 24%[blue] -27% 39 42 70 53 $30.21

Smooth operator: 1,800 of the world's largest companies shell out thirty grand a year for operations advice from this D.C. firm.

GREATER BAY BANCORP PALO ALTO

55 29% $82.9 61% $571.9 25%[blue] -8% 11 96 18 52 $24.25

This bank holding company's 11 subsidiaries keep cash streaming into the Bay Area. The stock peaked in December 2000.

RAMBUS LOS ALTOS, CALIF.

56 76% $23.1 47% $99.6 -44% -34% 22 (77) 28 40 100 $5.16

Rambus hopes the buzz over its big bandwidth Yellowstone chip technology will be louder than the roar of patent lawsuits.

CONCORD EFS MEMPHIS

57 33% $296.6 47% $1,793.5 29%[blue] -32% 26 81 41 48 $19.50

Concord processed 3.2 billion ATM transactions in 2001; the company's brands include MAC, STAR, and Cash Station.

ICT GROUP NEWTOWN, PA.

58 43% $9.1 26% $253.8 54%[blue] 13% 16 57 97 17 $15.80

ICT keeps the likes of Wells Fargo, Verizon, and Pfizer in tune with customers via database information and telemarketing.

ALBANY MOLECULAR RESEARCH ALBANY, N.Y.

59 38% $35.4 51% $104.7 12%[blue] -34% 17 66 32 75 $20.53

Albany partnered with Aventis to make allergy drug Allegra; the company is working with Merck and Pfizer on other compounds.

KLA-TENCOR SAN JOSE

59 103% $299.6 33% $1,726.0 11%[blue] -28% 29 19 76 78 $39.39

Quality control: KLA's products and software detect production flaws in the silicon wafers that go into semiconductor chips.

AMERISOURCEBERGEN CHESTERBROOK, PA.

61 35% $225.8 34% $31,416.2 44%[blue] 15% 21 78 71 26 $66.99

Amerisource is the largest drug and medical-supplies distributor in the U.S., dealing to hospitals, pharmacies, and supermarkets.

BLACK HILLS RAPID CITY, S.D.

61 43% $70.0 41% $1,298.7 19%[blue] -38% 11 58 52 65 $25.47

Earnings at this energy holding company fell 60% in the second quarter as lower fuel and electricity prices hurt profitability.

LENNAR MIAMI

61 35% $447.5 36% $6,353.1 37%[blue] 11% 8 75 65 35 $50.75

The country's second-largest homebuilder specializes in first-time and move-up single-family homes. Average tab: $237,000.

SOUTHERN UNION WILKES-BARRE, PA.

61 58% $44.3 45% $1,347.1 -2%[blue] -25% 13 43 45 87 $14.00

This utility company has its own confederacy: It pumps natural gas to 1.5 million customers in five states and Mexico.

EXPRESS SCRIPTS MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO.

65 35% $140.6 50% $9,914.7 19%[blue] -11% 22 76 35 66 $52.00

Some 48 million people buy (prescription) drugs through Express; more mail orders and generic orders boosted profits this year.

MGM MIRAGE LAS VEGAS

66 28% $167.9 79% $3,962.0 11%[blue] 13% 18 98 11 76 $35.00

The casino company's business rebounded in the second quarter as travelers returned to MGM's Strip properties like the Bellagio.

METRIS MINNETONKA, MINN.

67 38% $256.6 62% $1,934.7 -33% -90% 7 (82) 71 17 99 $3.55

Metris specializes in giving credit cards to credit risks; a rash of delinquencies pummeled the stock this summer.

STILLWATER MINING COLUMBUS, MONT.

67 67% $53.0 39% $263.5 -21% -63% 8 (53) 34 57 96 $9.50

Stillwater runs deep in Montana, where it mines the only significant sources of platinum and palladium in the U.S.

NOVELLUS SYSTEMS SAN JOSE

69 38% $66.2 44% $1,050.3 14%[blue] -47% 60 68 48 73 $26.99

As the market for semiconductor chips dipped, so did Novellus. The stock has fallen 40% since January.

RENT-A-CENTER PLANO, TEXAS

70 40% $84.8 29% $1,867.4 34%[blue] 48% 11 (70) 64 86 40 $53.51

Rough times meant more renters. RAC's stock soared this year, and the company will open 60 to 80 new stores in 2002.

ADVENT SOFTWARE SAN FRANCISCO

71 64% $32.7 34% $182.7 5%[blue] -66% 31 (47) 35 72 84 $19.21

Brokerage firms like Lehman and Morgan Stanley depend on Advent's software to automate trade orders and track portfolios.

CDW COMPUTER CENTERS VERNON HILLS, ILL.

71 38% $169.1 34% $3,977.1 29%[blue] 11% 24 (79) 67 74 50 $47.80

This direct-marketer of PC products also provides 24/7 technical support to small and midsized businesses.

COPART BENICIA, CALIF.

73 38% $54.8 32% $302.5 32%[blue] -30% 21 70 78 45 $13.30

Repo van: Copart auctions off repossessed and damaged autos for insurance companies, auto dealers, and car-rental agencies.

QUANTA SERVICES HOUSTON

73 31% $66.0 86% $1,945.1 -30% -92% 3 (29) 87 8 98 $1.91

Talk about tanking: This utility network maintenance firm has the worst one-year stock performance on our list (down 92%).

CHEESECAKE FACTORY CALABASAS HILLS, CALIF.

75 38% $41.5 27% $568.8 38%[blue] 19% 37 69 93 33 $36.24

Big appetites for its 200-plus-item menu have led this restaurant chain to post 40 straight quarters of sales growth.

DIANON SYSTEMS STRATFORD, CONN.

75 30% $9.4 26% $142.7 70%[blue] -23% 21 91 95 9 $38.85 Shares of this medical-testing company lost a third of their value in one day in early July on fears of Medicare cuts.

MONTEREY PASTA SALINAS, CALIF.

75 29% $5.2 31% $60.6 53%[blue] 11% N.A. (26) 95 81 19 $7.51

Pasta is the entree, but Monterey has also cooked up a thriving soup business. Almost 50% of sales are through Costco.

BARR LABORATORIES POMONA, N.Y.

78 39% $180.7 28% $1,120.5 34%[blue] -29% 16 65 90 41 $61.00

Barr's generic oral contraceptives are popular pills, but bad PR about hormone-replacement drugs has hurt the stock.

STATEN ISLAND BANCORP NEW YORK

78 37% $78.1 32% $534.8 32%[blue] 29% 14 73 79 44 $19.72

This holding company provides retail banking and mortgage loan services in New York and New Jersey.

TMP WORLDWIDE NEW YORK

78 89% $69.6 31% $1,361.7 -12% -69% 18 22 80 94 $15.44

More than 100 acquisitions over the past decade fueled this recruitment ad agency's growth. Its top brand is Monster.

HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES RED BANK, N.J.

81 29% $86.8 27% $2,062.8 60%[blue] 93% 9 93 94 12 $28.54

Demand for new homes and a scarcity of lots drove up prices (and profits) for this planned community homebuilder.

MDU RESOURCES GROUP BISMARCK, N.D.

82 44% $146.9 36% $1,964.3 8%[blue] -26% 12 55 64 81 $22.56

MDU mines for and sells concrete, gravel, oil, and natural gas; lower energy prices hurt second-quarter earnings.

SMITH INTERNATIONAL HOUSTON

82 75% $146.7 25% $3,513.3 16%[blue] 16% 26 31 100 69 $31.61

Here's the drill: Smith makes bits, drilling fluids, and related products for oil, mining, and petrochemical companies.

INDYMAC BANCORP PASADENA

84 55% $137.4 30% $877.0 15%[blue] -15% 9 48 84 72 $22.05

S&L holding company Indymac makes most of its money from mortgage loans, extending $16.5 billion worth last year.

D.R. HORTON ARLINGTON, TEXAS

85 34% $317.9 25% $5,397.1 43%[blue] 21% 8 79 99 27 $22.20

The No. 3 homebuilder acquired Schuler Homes in February; the hot housing market has given the stock a strong foundation.

L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HLDGS. NEW YORK

85 33% $129.6 33% $2,582.4 31%[blue] 24% 20 (92) 82 77 46 $46.22

Sales of L-3's bomb-detection machines after Sept. 11 helped to swell the company's war chest.

PRIORITY HEALTHCARE LAKE MARY, FLA.

87 33% $28.6 42% $903.2 11%[blue] -13% 21 (53) 80 50 77 $20.94

Priority mails specialty pharmaceuticals to more than 4,000 oncologists and dialysis centers nationwide.

JAKKS PACIFIC MALIBU, CALIF.

88 32% $24.4 49% $284.3 -4%[blue] -42% 6 (27) 83 37 88 $11.55

The maker of WWF gear and other toys has seen its stock founder as cautious retailers lower inventory levels.

OAKLEY FOOTHILL RANCH, CALIF.

89 36% $46.8 26% $445.0 35%[blue] -26% 16 74 98 39 $13.75

The sunglasses company branched out to shoes in the late '90s; footwear revenues are expected to double this year.

STEVEN MADDEN NEW YORK

89 32% $12.6 41% $256.6 14%[blue] -2% 12 (62) 84 53 74 $17.37

Steve himself was sentenced to 41 months in prison for securities fraud. Still, the stock is not far off its all-time high.

QLOGIC ALISO VIEJO, CALIF.

91 28% $70.7 53% $344.2 5%[blue] 6% 40 (20) 99 31 83 $40.75

How logical: Qlogic supplies chips, switches, and software for storage networks. Surprisingly, its stock held steady in 2002.

MACROVISION SANTA CLARA, CALIF.

92 28% $18.5 58% $99.5 -11% -77% 13 97 24 93 $10.96

Macrovision foils pirates: Its software prevents copying and viewing of videos, DVDs, and pay-per-view shows.

TWEETER HOME ENT. GROUP CANTON, MASS.

93 40% $19.4 37% $698.1 -6%[blue] -78% 8 62 63 90 $6.15

Tweeter tanked this year as consumers shunned the company's high-end audio and video options (it owns Bang & Olufsen).

GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE HOUSTON

94 29% $61.6 35% $4,013.6 22%[blue] -16% 9 (49) 94 68 60 $26.66

This chain of 72 car dealerships has posted 19 straight quarters of double-digit earnings growth, but the stock is decelerating.

PERFORMANCE FOOD GROUP RICHMOND

94 30% $48.1 26% $3,510.7 36%[blue] 9% 22 88 96 38 $33.02

Cafeterias, hospitals, and restaurants like T.G.I. Friday's gobble up food (generic and brand name) from this distributor.

TOLLGRADE COMMUNICATIONS CHESWICK, PA.

96 32% $9.4 29% $71.8 24%[blue] -47% 27 (91) 86 85 54 $12.42

Slackening demand for Tollgrade's cable and phone-line testing services took its toll on the stock: It's down 68% since January.

KOHL'S MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.

97 35% $527.2 27% $7,870.9 22%[blue] 15% 36 77 91 58 $66.00

The stock dipped this summer, but Kohl's combo of low prices and convenient locales keeps it the envy of department stores.

BED BATH & BEYOND UNION, N.J.

98 30% $235.9 29% $3,128.9 25%[blue] -4% 33 89 87 51 $31.00

The post-Sept. 11 nesting trend goosed sales at this chain of housewares stores, now 425 strong (and still growing).

CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL FALLS CHURCH, VA.

99 30% $686.3 40% $7,625.4 3%[blue] -51% 8 90 55 85 $31.70

In July the credit card outfit placated regulators by boosting reserves and instituting reforms; the stock is still reeling.

WESTWOOD ONE NEW YORK

99 30% $56.0 30% $520.7 23%[blue] 13% 33 92 83 55 $31.75

Westwood supplies radio stations with content like traffic and news; it had exclusive rights to the Winter Olympics.

*The S&P 500 lost 9% over this period.

N.A. Not available.

For an alphabetical list of the 100 fastest growers, their stock symbols, and website addresses, visit fortune.com/fastest.