Fortune magazine released its annual Fortune 500 list, ranking America's largest corporations by sales. Not surprisingly, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) came out on top.
From the ranking:
The megaretailer knocked ExxonMobil out of the top slot to rule the Fortune 500 again this year. Wal-Mart managed to lift revenues, on top of a big increase in 2008, by attracting bargain-hungry customers from competitors with remodeled stores and inexpensive private-label goods, offering everything from frozen pizza to patio furniture in one stop.
Other companies in the top 10 include Chevron (NYSE: CVX) at No. 3, which, as the article describes, "has a heavy exposure to high-acid crude, particularly its deep-water projects in the U.K. If the government forces it to start processing the high-cost oil, Chevron may opt to cede its drilling rights, a move that would result in a sizeable charge against earnings." And General Electric (NYSE: GE), whose CEO Jeffrey Immelt is "investing $6 billion to develop new medical products and technologies, and is making big bets on green technologies, from fuel-efficient turbines to "thin film" solar panels," takes fourth place.
The remainder of the top 10 list includes Bank of America, ConocoPhillips, AT&T, Ford, JP Morgan, and Hewlett-Packard.
What will the top 10 ranking look like in 2011? And more importantly, if you could only invest in one of the aforementioned companies, which one would it be? Let us know in the comment box below!
