It isn't easy for companies to boost revenue both quickly and profitably, especially with the economy stuck in a slow-growth mode. But our annual Barron's 500 ranking once again identified corporations succeeding on both counts.
Landing at the top of the 2014 list is a name carried in countless wallets: Visa. The financial-transactions specialist enjoyed 13% revenue growth in fiscal 2013, and generated market-leading cash-flow returns on invested capital, according to data compiled and analyzed by HOLT, the Credit Suisse unit that prepares the Barron's 500.
Visa (ticker: V) and No. 3-ranked MasterCard (MA) are benefitting from the worldwide transition toward greater use of credit and debt cards and electronic payments in lieu of cash. The move isn't without challenges; consider the security breach at Target (TGT) during the holiday season that potentially exposed customers' card information to theft.
But it seemingly is inevitable with the spread of technology, and has captured Wall Street's attention in a big way. Visa shares have rallied 24% in the past year, to a recent $206, and MasterCard is up 37%, to about $74.