EMC named one of America`s 10 best performing companies

EMC Corporation, the world`s leading provider of enterprise storage systems and software, has been ranked eighth among America`s best-performing companies by Business Week magazine in its annual Business Week 50 issue (cover date March 30). In the second annual Business Week 50 ranking of all companies in the Standard & Poor`s 500 stock index, EMC rose from 16th in 1997 to eighth in 1998, and was one of only four companies earning the top performance grade of "A" in all eight categories (1-year and 3-year total shareholder return, sales growth and profit growth; along with net margin and return on equity). The 1998 Business Week 50 list includes seven information technology companies among the top 10 performers: Microsoft (1), Dell Computer (2), Cisco Systems (3), Intel (4), Compaq Computer (5), EMC (8), and Computer Associates International (9). Michael C. Ruettgers, EMC President and CEO, said, "As proud as we are to see EMC ranked so highly on this prestigious list, the most gratifying thing about it is that, for the second year in a row, almost all the Business Week 50 companies are EMC customers. That is not a coincidence. The most successful organizations today recognize that their competitive advantage can only be sustained by maximizing the business value of their information assets. The deployment of EMC Enterprise Storage solutions at the center of the IT infrastructure is the most secure and flexible investment a company can make in ensuring that its information is always available to those who need it, when they need it." Business Week reported that last year`s Business Week 50 companies returned an average of 47.7% to shareholders over the 12 months ended March 13, 1998, compared with the 34.7% gained by the entire S&P 500 and 24% gained by the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The magazine singled out EMC`s 115% gain as second only to Dell over the same 12-month period. Among last year`s inaugural Business Week 50 companies, only 25 were repeat members of this year`s list. Among them, EMC was one of only 13 whose ranking rose in 1998. In discussing the trends driving the success of the Business Week 50 companies, the magazine reported, "And remember the adage the customer is always right? EMC Corp., a maker of computer storage systems, prove[s] that old saw, too, is alive and well." In announcing the rankings, Business Week characterized its performance analysis this way: "Unlike other lists, which classify companies by sheer size or market capitalization, it is a dynamic, growth-oriented measure that accurately reflects and rewards those companies that consistently perform better than their peers. The results provide an in-depth look at how the companies in the S&P 500, which comprise 70% of the total market value of U.S. stocks, really stack up against each other." The complete list is available at www.businessweek.com.