The winners.
BY CATEGORY
In 2021, company rankings were determined through review of annual proxy statements, annual reports on Form 10-K, investor relations websites, and codes of conduct. Each company’s documents were scored using 136 discrete criteria that flesh out the four pillars of transparency. This year, we also analyzed 12 criteria in order to rank the most efficient plain language in the proxy statement. This award is not accounted for in the overall ranking. See the top-rated companies below:
Top 7 Awards
Best overall Transparency
The winner: Cognizant Technology Solutions
The top 3: Cognizant Technology Solutions, ConocoPhillips, Colgate-Palmolive
Proxy Statement
The winner: Southern Company
The top 3: Southern Company, Duke Energy, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Form 10-K
The winner: JP Morgan Chase
The top 3: JP Morgan Chase, Intel, Moody’s
Investor Relations Website
The winner: Mondelēz International
The top 3: Mondelēz International, Norfolk Southern, Cummins
Code of Conduct
The winner: Procter & Gamble
The top 3: Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, General Motors
Most improved
The winner: Sempra Energy
The top 3: Sempra Energy, Mondelēz, Linde plc
PLAIN LANGUAGE - PROXY STATEMENT (NEW FOR 2020!)
The winner: General Dynamics
The top 3: General Dynamics, PACCAR, Ball Corporation
Top ranked companies by industry
Consumer Discretionary
General Motors
Consumer Staples
Colgate-Palmolive
Energy
ConocoPhillips
Financials
T. Rowe Price
Healthcare
McKesson
Industrials
Johnson Controls
Information Technology
Microsoft
Materials
LyondellBasell
Telecommunication Services
Verizon
Utilities
Duke Energy
Top 20 companies
#1 COGNIZANT
present in 2020
#2 CONOCOPHILLIPS
new to top 20
#3 COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
new to top 20
#4 JOHNSON CONTROLS
new to top 20
#5 HONEYWELL
new to top 20
#6 S&P GLOBAL
present in 2020
#7 DUKE ENERGY
present in 2020
#8 CVS HEALTH
present in 2020
#9 T. ROWE PRICE
new to top 20
#10 CSX
new to top 20
#11 LOCKHEED MARTIN
present in 2020
#12 GENERAL ELECTRIC
present in 2020
#13 MICROSOFT
new to top 20
#14 MCKESSON
new to top 20
#15 CITIGROUP
present in 2020
#16 DELTA AIR LINES
present in 2020
#17 COMCAST
new to top 20
#18 MASTERCARD
present in 2020
#19 PRUDENTIAL
new to top 20
#20 MERCK
present in 2020