Orange County's Top Companies

L.A. Times Archives

May 7, 1996 12 AM PT

Ranking Orange County’s leading public companies according to their return on investor’s capital provides a snapshot of successes by the score. The list below illustrates the wide variety of companies that flourish in the county, but is dominated by businesses in the critical arenas of high technology and biomedical development and health care. The list ranks publicly held companies by their two-year average return on equity.

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Two-year average return Market Company on equity* capitalization* Sales* Alliance Imaging Inc. 2,932% $49 $58 WFS Financial Inc. 135 449 135 L.L. Knickerbocker Co. 78 133 13 Oakley Inc. 75 1,370 173 Rockford Industries Inc. 34 70 74 Western Digital Crop. 31 869 2,630 Touchstone Software Corp. 26 37 11 Medstone International 22 54 18 Comarco Inc. 21 71 70 Day Runner Inc. 21 173 126 PacifiCare Health Systems 20 1,463 3,974 Richey Electronics Inc. 20 97 117 Bridgford Foods Corp. 19 87 114 Corvel Corporation 19 135 107 Armor All Products Corp. 17 318 204 Interpore International 17 35 17 Fluor Corporation 17 5,417 9,644 Printronix Inc. 17 97 160 Quiksilver Inc. 16 239 180 Allergan Inc. 16 2,273 1,097 Rainbow Technologies Inc. 15 135 66 Beckman Instruments Inc. 15 1,090 930 Quality Systems Inc. 15 94 16 Wyle Electronics 15 442 1,077 U.S. Facilities Corp. 14 109 123 Wynn’s International Inc. 14 237 310 FileNet Corporation 14 663 216 Nationwide Health Props. 14 775 82 Amplicon Inc. 14 91 232 Imperial Credit Industries 14 435 75 Furon Company 13 188 345 Bergen Brunswig Corp. 13 1,029 8,841 ICU Medical Incorporated 13 143 21 Eldorado Bancorp 12 56 25 State of the Art Inc. 12 146 46 Microsemi Corporation 12 74 142 Pacific Scientific Co. 12 229 295 Luther Medical Products 12 16 7 Westcorp Inc. 11 504 222 PIMCO Advisors L.P. 11 873 323 Fidelity Nat’l Financial 10 165 493 Biomerica Inc. 10 9 9 Cam Data Systems Inc. 10 8 14 Pacific Sunwear of CA 10 79 113 PairGain Technologies 9 1,359 129 Irvine Apt. Communities 9 335 133 Summa Industries Inc. 9 9 18 Varco International Inc. 9 453 287 Pacific Gulf Properties 8 85 26 Newport Corporation 8 86 102 Gish Biomedical 7 21 22 Downey Financial Corp. 7 395 319 CKE Restaurants Inc. 7 319 465 Safeguard Health Enterprises 6 83 82 Hycor Biomedical Inc. 6 41 25 STM Wireless Inc. 6 70 37 Advanced Logic Research 5 81 212 18 SC Bancorp 5 53 26 First American Financial 5 290 1,250 Wet Seal Inc. 5 170 267 FHP International Corp. 4 1,217 4,021 Capital Pacific Holdings 4 51 126 I-Flow Corporation 3 42 10 Datum Inc. 3 40 67 Regency Health Services 3 150 416 Pinnacle Micro Inc. 2 73 82 Smith Environmental Tech. 2 18 193 Ceradyne Inc. 1 76 23 Emulex Corporation (3) 85 62 Wonderware Corp. (3) 286 55 Standard Pacific Corp. (4) 200 389 Odetics Inc. (4) 9 93 EIP Microwave Inc. (5) 2 7 Three D Departments Inc. (6) 2 50 Dense-Pac Microsystems (10) 100 16 Micro General Corporation (13) 4 4 Presley Companies (15) 31 286 Urethane Technologies (26) 18 27 Trimedyne Inc. (27) 57 13 Alpha Microsystems (29) 22 35 ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc. (34) 704 508 MTI Technology Corp. (36) 32 128 Cerplex Group Inc. (37) 92 144 Irvine Sensors Corp. (39) 94 9 Comparator Systems Corp. (48) 28 0 AST Research Inc. (49) 212 2,348 Aurora Electronics Inc. (49) 22 134 Clothestime Inc. (55) 11 308 Vans Inc. (57) 135 110 General Automation Inc. (57) 15 17 InVitro International (65) 13 1 GB Foods Corporation (97) 60 7 Cortex Pharmaceuticals (117) 37 0 Watson General Corp. (141) 23 3 Wahlco Environmental Sys. (152) 17 60 National Education Corp. (155) 479 259 CoCensys Inc. (197) 142 12 Metalclad Corporation (330) 116 16 AmeriQuest Technologies (345) 23 446 Graphix Zone Inc. (422) 31 3 Urohealth Systems Inc. (922) 55 28

Sales Company change* Alliance Imaging Inc. 0% WFS Financial Inc. 45 L.L. Knickerbocker Co. 73 Oakley Inc. 39 Rockford Industries Inc. 37 Western Digital Crop. 31 Touchstone Software Corp. 56 Medstone International 13 Comarco Inc. 2 Day Runner Inc. 14 PacifiCare Health Systems 29 Richey Electronics Inc. 30 Bridgford Foods Corp. 4 Corvel Corporation 17 Armor All Products Corp. 1 Interpore International -7 Fluor Corporation 14 Printronix Inc. 18 Quiksilver Inc. 33 Allergan Inc. 14 Rainbow Technologies Inc. 30 Beckman Instruments Inc. NA Quality Systems Inc. 35 Wyle Electronics 36 U.S. Facilities Corp. NA Wynn’s International Inc. 5 FileNet Corporation 21 Nationwide Health Props. NA Amplicon Inc. 28 Imperial Credit Industries NA Furon Company 11 Bergen Brunswig Corp. 16 ICU Medical Incorporated 29 Eldorado Bancorp NA State of the Art Inc. 24 Microsemi Corporation 18 Pacific Scientific Co. 19 Luther Medical Products 190 Westcorp Inc. 55 PIMCO Advisors L.P. 79 Fidelity Nat’l Financial NA Biomerica Inc. 3 Cam Data Systems Inc. 4 Pacific Sunwear of CA 32 PairGain Technologies 95 Irvine Apt. Communities 3 Summa Industries Inc. -1 Varco International Inc. 25 Pacific Gulf Properties NA Newport Corporation 11 Gish Biomedical 2 Downey Financial Corp. NA CKE Restaurants Inc. 5 Safeguard Health Enterprises 16 Hycor Biomedical Inc. -3 STM Wireless Inc. 41 Advanced Logic Research 5 SC Bancorp NA First American Financial -9 Wet Seal Inc. 101 FHP International Corp. 25 Capital Pacific Holdings -18 I-Flow Corporation 20 Datum Inc. 118 Regency Health Services 9 Pinnacle Micro Inc. 25 Smith Environmental Tech. 133 Ceradyne Inc. 30 Emulex Corporation -13 Wonderware Corp. 54 Standard Pacific Corp. -7 Odetics Inc. 2 EIP Microwave Inc. 18 Three D Departments Inc. 9 Dense-Pac Microsystems 43 Micro General Corporation -15 Presley Companies 6 Urethane Technologies 98 Trimedyne Inc. -2 Alpha Microsystems -13 ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc. 38 MTI Technology Corp. -8 Cerplex Group Inc. 46 Irvine Sensors Corp. 65 Comparator Systems Corp. 255 AST Research Inc. 2 Aurora Electronics Inc. -2 Clothestime Inc. -10 Vans Inc. 27 General Automation Inc. -44 InVitro International -32 GB Foods Corporation 0 Cortex Pharmaceuticals -100 Watson General Corp. 106 Wahlco Environmental Sys. -14 National Education Corp. 7 CoCensys Inc. 67 Metalclad Corporation -11 AmeriQuest Technologies 102 Graphix Zone Inc. 49 Urohealth Systems Inc. 18

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The following companies could not be ranked, either because the company is too new for a two-year average or information was unavailable.

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Two-year average return Market Sales Company on equity* capitalization* Sales* change* Apria Healthcare Group 1,623 1,135 18 Comprehensive Care Corp. 22 31 2 Data Processing Resources 157 52 NA GT Bicycles Inc. 107 169 16 MAI Systems Corp. 46 66 0 Platinum Software Corp. 109 51 -8 Smartflex Systems Inc. 95 141 67 Techniclone Int’l Corp. 64 0 -66 ARV Assisted Living Inc. 146 24 NA Boyds Wheels Inc. 23 16 NA Koll Real Estate Group 13 21 NA Mossimo Inc. 499 72 NA MPTV Inc. 3 0 NA QLogic Corp. 54 50 NA Safety Components Int’l. 62 91 NA St. John Knits Inc. 553 162 NA Unit Instruments Inc. 52 48 NA

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Note:

Two-year average return on equity: Profit as a proportion of shareholder investment (usually investment in common stock);

Market capitalization: The market value of a company’s common stock: the value investors place on a company. in millions;

Sales: Company sales for the four quarters of 1995. In millions;

Sales change: The change in sales revenue from 1994 to 1995.

NM: Not meaningful