Firstar Corporation Named as the Number Two Stock in America
MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1999--Firstar Corporation (NYSE:FSR - news) was named as the number two stock in the latest edition of ''The 100 Best Stocks to Own in America.'' Also, Firstar was ranked the highest of the 11 banking and financing companies to make the prestigious list. Best-selling author, Gene Walden, reviewed more than 2,000 major U.S. companies for inclusion in this the sixth edition of The 100 Best Stocks to Own in America, published by Dearborn, a Kaplan Professional Company.
Firstar and the other U.S. companies to make the list were ranked according to five categories--earnings per share growth, stock growth, dividend, consistency and shareholder perks. Stock growth was judged on a 10-year performance, while earnings growth and dividend growth were rated based on the most recent five-year period. The consistency category rated stocks based on year-to-year earnings gains over a 10-year period.
According to the book, ''...each company featured here has proven its ability to compete as a market leader in one or more areas. Their concepts are working; their lines of products or services have made an impact in the marketplace; and they have been highly profitable over the past 10 to 15 years. Each of these companies has a management team that also has proven capable of turning a buck on a consistent basis. They've ridden the ups and downs of the economy over the past decade, survived the rash of mergers and acquisitions, weathered the downtimes and have still come away with an outstanding record of earnings and stock price growth. Presumably, most of these companies will continue their success throughout this decade.''
Medtronic, Inc., the world's leading heart pacemaker manufacturer located in Minnesota, according to the book, ranked number one.
Firstar Corporation is a $71 billion bank holding company with approximately 1,200 full-service banking offices in Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kansas, Arizona and Florida. Firstar offers a full complement of banking, trust, investment, insurance, securities brokerage and other financial services. Firstar Corporation is the parent company of all Mercantile Banks in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois and Kentucky; all Firstar Banks; Firstar Finance, a consumer finance company; and two investment advisory firms, Firstar Investment Research & Management Company, LLC (FIRMCO) and Mississippi Valley Advisors Inc. (MVA). Visit Firstar on the web at www.firstar.com. Firstar was founded in 1853.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Firstar Corporation
Steve Dale, 414/765-4455 |
