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Let us take a look at 20 of them. All the figures are based on three-year average.
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Revenue growth: 151 per cent
Profit growth: 65 per cent
Total return: 105 per cent
Revenue: $2593.9 million
Net income: $68.2 million
Industry: Health Care
SXC is both a pharmacy benefits manager and a service provider to PBMs.
With some $72 billion in branded drugs losing patent protection in the next five years, sales of generic alternatives are likely to rise.
SXC's PBM unit, which acts as middleman between the insurance company and the pharmacy, could be the beneficiary.
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Revenue growth: 63 per cent
Profit growth: 69 per cent
Total return: 120 per cent
Revenue: $1912.4 million
Net income: $113 million
Industry: Beverages
The company dominates the single-serve market and boasts customers such as ConAgra Foods, Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, which use K-cups for hot cocoa, teas and coffees.
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Revenue growth: 51 per cent
Profit growth: 234 per cent
Total return: 42 per cent
Revenue: $190.9
Net income: $41.5
Industry: Health Care
This maker of generic drugs for allergies, diabetes and pain reported 51 per cent sales gains in 2010 and has continued strong this year with a 45 per cent year-over-year increase in the most recent quarter.
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Revenue growth: 65 per cent
Profit growth: 78 per cent
Total return: 65 per cent
Revenue: $1363.8 million
Net income: $619.7 million
Industry: Technology
Baidu holds 84 per cent of the Internet search market share (by query) in China, with its next closest competitor, Google, clutching a mere 8 per cent, according to iResearch.
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Revenue growth: 49 per cent
Profit growth: 87 per cent
Total return: 65 per cent
Revenue: $271.3 million
Net income: $21.1 million
Industry: Beverages
The company celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2010 by beefing up profits 73 per cent.
Revenue at its Take Shape for Life personal coaching division, which accounts for 65 per cent of Medifast's total, increased by 62 per cent.
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Revenue growth: 75 per cent
Profit growth: 82 per cent
Total return: 37 per cent
Revenue: $589.5 million
Net income: $102.9 million
Industry: Health Care
The company's first product to reach the market, Soliris - which treats a rare, but life-threatening disease that basically destroys red blood cells - has been a success.
Sales rose about 50 per cent in the most recent quarter compared to the equivalent period in 2010.
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Revenue growth: 105 per cent
Profit growth: 79 per cent
Total return: 28 per cent
Revenue: $3855 million
Net income: $788 million
Industry: Entertainment
With programming in 38 languages, Discovery's non-US advertising revenue increased 25 per cent in the second quarter, while affiliate revenues-payments made to Discovery's networks by cable and satellite-TV providers-rose 18 per cent.
For the year, analysts expect earnings to jump 32 per cent.
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Revenue growth: 299 per cent
Profit growth: 102 per cent
Total return: 22 per cent
Revenue: $2518.7 million
Net income: $40.2 million
Industry: Energy
Green Plains Renewable Energy's first ethanol-producing plant came online in Iowa in 2007, producing 15 million gallons that year.
Now the company's nine plants produce 740 million gallons of the fuel annually, making Green Plains the fourth-largest ethanol producer in North America.
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Revenue growth: 46 per cent
Profit growth: 94 per cent
Total return: 26 per cent
Revenue: $464.6 million
Net income: $51.6 million
Industry: Hotels
Tourism is blossoming in China, so it's no surprise that this Chinese budget-hotel chain has been growing, too.
Revenues for the company increased nearly 22 per cent in 2010; in its most recent quarter, that figure was 12 per cent higher than in the same quarter last year.
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Revenue growth: 24 per cent
Profit growth: 848 per cent
Total return: 49 per cent
Revenue: $262.4 million
Net income: $27.9 million
Industry: Industrial
The firearm manufacturer delivered a bang-up second quarter, easily beating analysts' estimates: Sales increased 23 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2010 and profits shot up 33 per cent.
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Revenue growth: 24 per cent
Profit growth: 340 per cent
Total return: 42 per cent
Revenue: $369.6 million
Net income: $203.5 million
Industry: Technology
As their annual report puts it, fiscal year 2011 (which ended March 26) "was one hell of a year for Cirrus Logic".
The maker of chips for the iPad and iPhone has been booming along with its scaldingly hot customer.
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Revenue growth: 28 per cent
Profit growth: 59 per cent
Total return: 64 per cent
Revenue: $3309.8 million
Net income: $578.5 million
Industry: Technology
The discount travel broker, famous for its "name your own price" deals, lately seems to able to name its own sales.
Priceline.com-beamed to the forefront of America's consciousness with travel bookings growing at warp speed: 47 per cent in 2010.
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Revenue growth: 34 per cent
Profit growth: 47 per cent
Total return: 57 per cent
Revenue: $760.2 million
Net income: $135.6 million
Industry: Retail
Selling yoga pants at $98 a pop, workout gear retailer Lululemon might not seem like a good bet in tough times.
But its high-quality products have hooked the fashion-conscious and the fit-a crowd that still has discretionary income
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Revenue growth: 41 per cent
Profit growth: 50 per cent
Total return: 35 per cent
Revenue: $1134.2 million
Net income: $179.4 million
Industry: Energy
When times are good in the oil industry, they're really good.
In this case, high prices have helped propel revenues at oil and natural gas company Concho Resources as its aggressive expansion increased its production to 15.6 million barrels.
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Revenue growth: 33 per cent
Profit growth: 72 per cent
Total return: 32 per cent
Revenue: $232.2 million
Net income: $60.5 million
Industry: Electronic Auctions
The eBay of Latin America added 10 million registered users in 2010, continuing an extended period of growth in a region that is adding Internet users at a high rate.
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Revenue growth: 39 per cent
Profit growth: 51 per cent
Total return: 31 per cent
Revenue: $495.6 million
Net income: $367.7 million
Industry: Mining
Silver Wheaton seems to have found a profit-generating strategy that's solid gold.
The precious metals company's business model has enabled it to reap the benefits of high silver prices, while keeping its costs under control.
The firm doesn't dig for its own metals. Instead, it pays mines an upfront fee in exchange for the right to purchase, at a fixed price, the silver they produce.
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Revenue growth: 32 per cent
Profit growth: 68 per cent
Total return: 35 per cent
Revenue: $552.6 million
Net income: $739.2 million
Industry: Financial Services
Managing roughly $13 billion as of June 30, Ares Capital has carved out a niche as a specialty financial company for so-called middle market companies - working with integrated debt and equity financing.
Its portfolio was boosted in 2010 in a merger with Allied Capital.
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Revenue growth: 66 per cent
Profit growth: 68 per cent
Total return: 14 per cent
Revenue: $2071.7 million
Net income: $314.6 million
Industry: Energy
Despite a bumpy 2011, Trina Solar has increased its profits nearly 20-fold to $584 million in 2010.
The Chinese solar company has made a name for itself with low-cost technology and global reach.
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Revenue growth: 42 per cent
Profit growth: 48 per cent
Total return: 30 per cent
Revenue: $140.6 million
Net income: $61.8 million
Industry: Technology
The software and e-commerce provider to the insurance industry runs online exchanges and performs information technology consulting for more than 100 companies.
It has grown at a breakneck pace in recent years, landing near the top of Fortune's list of fastest growing companies in 2009 and 2010.
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Revenue growth: 44 per cent
Profit growth: 39 per cent
Total return: 35 per cent
Revenue: $812.9 million
Net income: $73.8 million
Industry: Industrial
With end products including pet food bags, beer cartons, and grocery bags, KapStone Paper and Packaging supplies the material for every paper product you can think of-and some you probably can't such as floors and even laminated house siding.
