NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 9, 2009) - Baxter International wins top billing as a
shareholder favorite among Medical Supplies & Devices manufacturers,
according to participants in "Institutional Investor's" fourth annual
ranking of America's Most Shareholder-Friendly Companies.
Survey results are being released today through Thursday at
www.iimagazine.com.
Winners in the Financial Institutions and Health Care categories are
available today, and top-ranked companies include Aflac (Life Insurance),
American Express Co. (Consumer Finance), Medco Health Solutions (Health
Care Technology & Distribution), and Merck & Co. (Major Pharmaceuticals).
"The fundamentals of our business continue to be very strong," says Robert
Davis, Baxter's chief financial officer. "The fact that we're a diversified
health care company across so many product lines and geographies has
allowed us to weather the market."
The Deerfield, Illinois-based pharmaceuticals and medical device
manufacturer reported strong numbers last year, including an 8.8 percent
increase in total revenue, to $12.4 billion, and a 17.6 percent surge in
net income, to $2.0 billion.
"Institutional Investor's" ranking of America's Most Shareholder-Friendly
Companies reflects the opinions of 675 buy-side analysts and portfolio
managers at more than 375 investment management firms with combined assets
of $5.8 trillion in U.S. equities.
Winners will be announced over a four-day period:
Day 1: Monday, March 9, 2009 - Financial Institutions and Health Care
Day 2: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - Basic Materials and Capital
Goods/Industrials
Day 3: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - Consumer and Energy
Day 4: Thursday, March 12, 2009 - Media, Technology and Telecommunications
To view America's Most Shareholder-Friendly rankings, please visit
www.iimagazine.com. For more information, please contact Alyssa Walker at
awalker@iiresearchgroup.com or 212-224-3677.
Contact Information: Contact
Alyssa Walker
awalker@iiresearchgroup.com
212-224-3677