Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is on top of Fortune magazine's list of the 500 largest companies in the United States for the fourth year in a row.
The Bentonville-based retailer had $482.1 billion in revenue for 2015, down less than 1 percent from the year before, the magazine reported Monday. Wal-Mart's revenue was almost $236 billion higher than the next company on the list, Exxon Mobil Corp. The oil company's revenue for 2015 was $246.2 billion, down nearly 36 percent from the year before.
This marks Wal-Mart's 12th time in the No. 1 spot and the ninth time it's been No. 1 in the past decade. Since the list began in 1955, only three companies have held the No. 1 spot -- General Motors, Exxon and Wal-Mart.
Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc., Little Rock-based Dillard's Inc., Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. and Little Rock-based Windstream Communications all moved up on the 2016 list.
"It's always good to see the Arkansas companies well-placed in the Fortune 500 list," said Michael Pakko, chief economist at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. "It's a feather in our cap."
He noted that energy companies such as Exxon Mobil and Arkansas companies Murphy Oil Corp., which fell off the list, and Murphy USA, which dropped more than 50 places, saw their 2015 revenue clobbered because of plummeting oil prices.
Apple Inc. moved into the No. 3 spot with revenue of $233.7 billion, up almost 28 percent. It was the most profitable company on the list at $53.4 billion, marking a 31 percent gain and a company record. Apple ranked No. 5 on last year's Fortune 500 list.
The combined revenue of the 2016 list was $12 trillion, down 4.2 percent, and combined profits were $840 billion, down 11.1 percent. In total, the companies on the list employed 27.9 million people, an increase of 4 percent compared with the year before.
Arkansas companies on the list had combined revenue of about $553.3 billion and total profits of $16.8 billion.
Companies on the list are ranked by total revenue for their 2015 fiscal year. The list includes companies that are incorporated in the U.S., that operate in the U.S. and that file financial statements with a government agency. As a result, it features both publicly traded and private companies.
Tyson Foods Inc. powered up the list, ranking No. 66, with revenue of about $41.4 billion, a 10 percent gain. The meat giant ranked No. 83 last year. Tyson Foods bought Hillshire Brands for nearly $8 billion in 2014, adding brands such as Jimmy Dean, Ball Park and Sara Lee.
"We've moved up in rankings due to record sales, but have also experienced record earnings driven by strong growth in our chicken and branded, prepared foods businesses," Dennis Leatherby, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Tyson Foods, said in an emailed statement. "We're excited about the momentum we're building and expect a strong earnings performance through the rest of this year and beyond."
El Dorado-based Murphy Oil dropped off the Fortune 500 list, ranking at No. 662 with $3.4 billion in revenue, a 59 percent drop compared with the year earlier. It was ranked No. 350 last year.
Service station operator Murphy USA came in at No. 258, down from No. 202 last year. The El Dorado-based company's revenue was $10.9 billion for 2015, down 29 percent. Murphy USA spun off from Murphy Oil Corp. in 2013.
Little Rock-based retailer Dillard's Inc. gained ground on the list, ranking No. 380 with $6.8 billion in revenue, nearly unchanged from last year when the company ranked No. 400.
Transportation company J.B. Hunt Transport Services moved up to No. 416 from No. 434. The company had revenue of $6.2 billion, up less than 1 percent from last year. This is its fourth consecutive year on the Fortune 500 list.
"Our employees focus on serving customers to build relationships and partnerships that strengthen and grow our business every day," John Roberts, J.B. Hunt president and chief executive officer, said in a news release.
Windstream Holdings was ranked No. 443, moving up in the rankings from No. 452 the previous year. The Little Rock-based communications company booked 2015 revenue of $5.8 billion, down 1.1 percent.
Information for this article was contributed by Claire Williams of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Business on 06/07/2016