Four Arkansas companies made the 2021 Fortune 500 list, down one from last year. These four companies include Walmart, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Murphy USA.
Now in its 67th year, the Fortune 500 ranks the top corporations in the United States. The companies listed in the 2021 rankings collectively generated $13.8 trillion in revenue.
Walmart retained its crown with the top spot on the Fortune 500 list. The Bentonville retail powerhouse has remained at the no. 1 ranking since 2013. The company debuted on the list in 1995 at no. 4, remaining there until 1998 before making the no. 3 and no. 2 spot in 1999 and 2000, respectively.
Walmart first made it to the no. 1 ranking in 2002. Since that time, the company has only dropped to no. 2 in three years: 2006, 2009 and 2012.
Based on Forbes’ reporting $559.15 billion in net revenue for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31, 2021. It had profits of $13.51 billion and as of March 31, 2021, had a market value of roughly $382.64 billion.
Tyson Foods was the second-highest ranked Arkansas company on the 2021 list, as it was the previous year. Tyson increased its standing in 2021, rising to the no. 73 spot after being ranked at no. 79 in 2020 and no. 80 in 2019. The company, which has been ranked on the Fortune 500 since 1995, received its highest ranking in 2016 at no. 66.
In 2021, J.B. Hunt Transport Services became the third-highest ranked Arkansas company on the Fortune 500 list, displacing Murphy USA from last year. The transportation company was ranked no. 346 in 2020 but rose to the no. 315 rank in 2021.
Murphy USA was ranked at no. 322 among the top 500 U.S. companies. This was a significant drop for Murphy USA, which took the no. 262 spot in 2020. Since first appearing on the list in 2014 at no. 175, the El Dorado-based company has seen its ranking decline, with upward bumps in 2018 and 2019.
Dillard’s dropped off of the Fortune 500 list in 2021, falling to no. 585 after being ranked no. 468 in 2020. Windstream Holdings II slightly dropped in the rankings, moving from no. 543 in 2020 to no. 548 in 2021.
In total, three Arkansas companies made the top 1,000 companies outside of the Fortune 500 list. In addition to Windstream and Dillard’s, Fort Smith-based ArcBest was ranked in the top 1,000 U.S. companies, rising in the rankings to no. 755 after being ranked no. 786 last year.
The top 10 companies in the Fortune 500, in order, are Walmart, Amazon, Apple, CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group, Berkshire Hathaway, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Alphabet and Exxon Mobil.
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