Globe 100 Annual List Marks 25th Anniversary

On Sunday, May 19, for the twenty-fifth consecutive year, The Boston Globe unveils its Globe 100 list ranking the best-performing public companies in Massachusetts. Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., based in Springfield, claims the top spot. This is the company’s first-ever number one appearance on the Globe 100 list.

To commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the Globe 100, this year’s issue also includes a Hall of Fame, which ranks 25 companies and recognizes the best aggregate performances of the past quarter-century. The retailer TJX Companies, based in Framingham, comes in at number one in the Hall of Fame, with the distinction of recording the best overall performance during that timeframe.

Smith & Wesson secured the number one spot by achieving revenue growth of more than 40 percent in 2012, significantly improving profit margins, and delivering an average return on equity of more than 55 percent. Company sales continued to surge after intense public debate on gun ownership and White House efforts to introduce new gun control legislation. In March the company said that, despite increasing production, it was unable to meet market demand for its firearm products.

Rounding out the top five companies, in order of appearance: TJX, Waltham-based oil terminal company Global Partners LP, Boston-based wireless and broadcast tower provider American Tower Corp., and Waltham-based clinical research organization Parexel International Corp. Four of the next five companies are in either the technology sector, which has been the bedrock of the Globe 100 for the past 25 years, biotechnology or telecommunications sectors, which all continue to dominate the list, ticking up slightly to occupy 40 slots compared to 37 last year.

Over the past 25 years, 497 companies have made the Globe 100 list at least once, but only four have made it each year. The Hall of Fame list outlines the best overall – not all of the top five on that list have been Globe 100 companies every year, but have had enough solid individual appearances to make the cut. The top five Hall of Famers are: TJX, banking industry leader State Street Corp., money manager Eaton Vance Corp., the data storage company EMC Corp., and office supplies giant Staples.

TJX led the pack thanks to its unbroken record of annual appearances and a series of strong individual performances. The discount retailer has appeared in the top 10 of 12 Globe 100 lists and achieved the number one spot twice.

In a sign of how fast fortunes can turn, last year’s best-performing company on the Globe 100, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, did not make the list this year.

“As it always has, the Globe 100 list reflects the dynamic nature of business not only in Massachusetts but also the world,” said Steve Syre, Globe business columnist and editor of the 2013 Globe 100 Magazine. “Several companies on this year’s list did not even exist when it debuted in 1989. In fact it’s quite possible those companies employ people who weren’t even born in 1989.”

The list continues to reflect the local and national economic climate. In 2010 and 2011, there were actually fewer than 100 companies on the list due to lower profits during the downturn. Last year marked the first time since 2009 that the Globe 100 list was at “full strength.”

The Globe 100 Magazine will be published in The Sunday Boston Globe on May 19, and online at BostonGlobe.com/Globe100, with some content available at Boston.com/Globe100. Readers can follow updates on Twitter: @GlobeBiz and #globe100.

The magazine will include feature articles on Innovators in the Massachusetts business and community sectors, ranging from technology pioneers to inspirational leaders in the nonprofit space. The Globe business staff also convened a recent roundtable of esteemed executives -- the former CEO of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, the founder of Staples and a general partner of Polaris -- and their discussion on the future of business in Massachusetts will also be featured.

About the Globe 100 ranking methodology

The Globe 100 ranks Massachusetts-based public companies based on financial data from the four quarters ending December 31, 2012. To be eligible, the company must be traded publicly for the entire 2012 calendar year on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq or the American Stock Exchange and report revenue and profit for both 2011 and 2012. Companies are ranked on four criteria: return on average equity, one-year percentage change in revenue, one-year percentage change in profit margin and 2012 revenue.

About The Boston Globe:

The Boston Globe is wholly owned by The New York Times Company, a leading global, multimedia news and information company with 2012 revenues of $2.0 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com and related properties. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information.