BURBANK, CALIF., FEB 23, 2004 – Fortune magazine reported today that The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is America’s most admired entertainment company based on a survey of top entertainment industry executives, directors and securities analysts. The results were reported as part of Fortune’s “America’s Most Admired Companies” issue, which is being distributed this week.
“In 2003, we emerged from a protracted period of economic difficulty and had a great year primarily because the women and men of Disney remained focused on what they do best, producing high quality and memorable family entertainment experiences,” said Michael Eisner, Disney chairman and CEO. “That other entertainment industry executives recognized this by voting Disney No. 1 in our industry is a tribute to the hard work of our incredibly creative and dedicated cast members and employees.”
For FY 2003, Disney’s earnings per share grew by eight percent, driven in part by the success of memorable motion pictures such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” and “Finding Nemo,” and the company’s stock price increased by 43 percent for the calendar year.
To identify America’s most admired companies by industry, FORTUNE and its survey partner, the Hay Group, take the ten largest companies by revenues in 64 industries and ask 10,000 executives, directors, and securities analysts to rate companies in their own industries based on eight criteria: innovation, employee talent, use of corporate assets, social responsibility; quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value and quality of products/services.