The 40 Best Energy Companies
Michael T. Burr is Fortnightly’s editor-in-chief. Email him at burr@pur.com.
The industry’s best companies are weathering the financial storm reasonably well, with the F40 delivering equity returns in the 14-percent range for fiscal 2008. However, falling sales and rising costs are putting heavy pressure on balance sheets—and on regulatory relationships. Companies that balance customer value and shareholder value will be most likely to thrive in the new normal.
For the past five years, the Fortnightly 40 report has provided a snapshot of the industry’s financial status and progress—specifically focusing on long-term shareholder value. Each year we’ve plumbed a gold mine of financial data provided by the C Three Group LLC in Atlanta, to reveal interesting trends and correlations. And we’ve interviewed CEOs and CFOs at some of the exceptional companies in the ranking, and talked to analysts to gain insights into the industry’s direction.
We did the same things this year. Unfortunately, the task is vastly more challenging this year, for one obvious reason: Three-fourths of the way through 2008, Wall Street fell apart and the economy went into a tailspin unlike anything seen since the 1930s.