The 100 Most Respected Companies

By VITO J. RACANELLI Baron's

EACH YEAR Barron's surveys professional money managers about their views of the world's 100 largest companies, based on total stock-market capitalization at year end, as determined by Dow Jones Indexes. This year's survey, conducted with the help of Beta Research in Syosset, N.Y., elicited responses from 92 investors across the country, ranging from proprietors of small advisory firms to the chief investment officers of money-management giants overseeing billions of dollars.

Money managers indicated the degree to which they respect–or don’t respect–the world’s 100 largest public companies (measured by total market value as of Dec. 27).

This year’s ranking saw some formerly sterling names, such as Johnson & Johnson and Toyota, fall sharply, while Apple retained its coveted No. 1 spot and Amazon.com rose to No. 2.

For the full 100 companies.........

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