1999 rank	Company name	Composite score	1998 return on average equity	1-year change revenue	1-year change in profit margin	1998 total revenue (000)
1	Keane Inc.	17.50	31.04%	52.26%	23.18%	$1,076,198
2	EMC Corp.	22.00	27.84%	35.26%	8.92%	$3,973,735
3	TJX Cos.	26.25	37.47%	7.58%	36.54%	$7,949,101
4	Cambridge Technology Partners Inc.	28.25	26.43%	39.63%	10.11%	$612,041
5	Biogen Inc.	30.00	22.10%	35.37%	14.91%	$557,587
6	DeWolfe Cos.	31.00	27.09%	31.29%	130.14%	$135,420
7	DM Management Co.	31.25	17.37%	61.39%	33.53%	$218,730
8	Concord Communications Inc.	34.75	22.63%	101.74%	3335.34%	$39,481
9	Summit Technology Inc.	35.75	35.26%	15.05%	3755.55%	$91,641
10	State Street Corp.	36.25	20.25%	18.58%	-3.24%	$2,725,000
11	EG&G Corp.	36.25	28.02%	-3.62%	245.36%	$1,407,896
12	Alpha Industries Inc.	36.25	27.45%	14.97%	1045.12%	$123,924
13	Carematrix Inc.	36.50	15.47%	100.73%	37.22%	$146,919
14	Affiliated Managers Group	39.00	8.91%	150.29%	521.34%	$238,494
15	Raytheon Co.	39.50	8.12%	41.52%	15.85%	$19,350,000
16	Fleet Financial Group Inc.	40.25	17.97%	10.43%	2.76%	$6,636,000
17	BJ's Wholesale Club Inc.	40.25	17.57%	10.07%	8.87%	$3,552,181
18	SLI Inc.	40.50	17.21%	105.53%	-18.51%	$773,068
19	Concentra Managed Care Inc.	40.75	10.08%	24.88%	80.05%	$616,780
20	Watts Industries Inc.	42.25	14.34%	23.59%	10.46%	$733,862
21	New England Business Service Inc.	43.00	23.23%	47.74%	-31.23%	$438,484
22	Maxwell Shoe Co.	43.25	19.65%	16.73%	17.84%	$165,499
23	Boston Acoustics Inc.	43.25	52.20%	56.84%	-7.97%	$109,816
24	Perini Corp.	43.50	25.48%	-21.79%	177.33%	$1,035,900
25	Instron Corp.	43.50	15.71%	17.58%	36.03%	$183,029
26	Kronos Inc.	44.00	18.47%	18.54%	13.50%	$211,011
27	Object Design Inc.	44.50	15.17%	31.93%	356.96%	$62,358
28	Staples Inc.	44.75	13.47%	24.27%	-11.16%	$7,123,189
29	Cabot Corp.	45.00	18.74%	-2.81%	27.36%	$1,626,100
30	Mac-Gray Corp.	45.00	12.63%	30.84%	96.25%	$137,177
31	Sipex Corp.	45.00	24.70%	28.02%	16.95%	$65,557
32	Security Dynamics Technologies Inc.	45.50	13.27%	21.83%	41.62%	$171,334
33	Courier Corp.	45.50	16.84%	14.23%	51.11%	$155,586
34	American Science & Engineering Inc.	45.50	27.31%	58.32%	4.31%	$50,829
35	Tech/Ops Sevcon Inc.	47.25	35.22%	15.32%	53.45%	$32,474
36	Talbots Inc.	47.50	9.18%	8.39%	479.46%	$1,142,246
37	Genzyme Corp.	47.75	9.42%	12.74%	57.31%	$673,277
38	Lifeline Systems Inc.	48.25	18.14%	13.07%	130.37%	$64,410
39	BankBoston Corp.	50.00	17.12%	10.21%	-16.22%	$4,179,000
40	Steinway Musical Instruments	50.50	19.88%	5.54%	15.16%	$293,251
41	Peoples Bancshares Inc.	51.50	24.07%	28.66%	18.16%	$31,408
42	Parametric Technology Corp.	51.75	17.26%	-11.27%	31.26%	$1,009,219
43	Oak Industries Inc.	52.00	14.27%	10.65%	13.67%	$347,866
44	BEC Energy	52.50	15.97%	-8.75%	23.82%	$1,622,972
45	Wyman-Gordon Co.	53.00	19.06%	15.14%	-39.21%	$812,028
46	Xtra Corp.	53.00	14.96%	4.14%	20.28%	$463,000
47	Boston Private Financial Holdings	53.25	18.92%	28.81%	21.87%	$31,388
48	Gillette Co.	54.25	23.50%	-0.06%	-24.20%	$10,056,000
49	Lo-Jack Corp.	54.50	43.06%	11.90%	-0.28%	$80,826
50	American Biltrite Inc.	56.00	14.90%	1.75%	22.79%	$427,551
51	Neiman-Marcus Group Inc.	57.25	14.58%	7.33%	-11.53%	$2,460,728
52	MicroTouch Systems Inc.	57.50	11.91%	12.37%	30.04%	$144,370
53	Plymouth Rubber Cos.	58.00	19.39%	2.84%	41.18%	$69,041
54	Kollmorgen Corp.	58.50	30.06%	9.76%	-31.88%	$243,939
55	Teradyne Inc.	59.00	10.40%	17.60%	-31.95%	$1,489,151
56	UniFirst Corp.	59.00	14.06%	5.72%	7.60%	$451,985
57	Excel Switching Corp.	59.25	15.10%	38.92%	-16.13%	$123,258
58	Forrester Research Inc.	59.50	16.05%	52.31%	-11.49%	$61,567
59	Uno Restaurant Corp.	61.75	8.63%	7.87%	108.01%	$195,055
60	Andover Bancorp Inc.	61.75	15.24%	13.28%	16.22%	$48,122
61	Commonwealth Energy System Inc.	62.25	12.48%	-5.92%	16.20%	$980,115
62	Geotel Communications Corp.	62.25	18.89%	141.00%	-40.02%	$44,852
63	Houghton Mifflin Co.	63.00	12.75%	8.07%	-15.24%	$861,657
64	Mestek Inc.	63.00	12.78%	3.22%	8.03%	$338,344
65	Commerce Group Inc.	63.25	14.24%	1.31%	-1.01%	$852,330
66	UST Corp.	63.50	10.81%	11.06%	-0.87%	$298,880
67	Sapient Corp.	64.00	11.61%	77.48%	-37.42%	$160,372
68	The First Years Inc.	65.00	16.58%	9.96%	-2.12%	$132,716
69	Litchfield Financial Corp.	65.75	13.17%	30.70%	2.34%	$38,806
70	PolyMedica Corp.	66.25	12.68%	55.53%	-35.04%	$95,831
71	Sonesta International Hotels Corp.	66.25	6.02%	19.82%	26.75%	$82,040
72	Analogic Corp.	67.75	9.55%	10.20%	-0.95%	$298,750
73	Thermo Fibertek Inc.	68.00	12.45%	3.25%	6.11%	$247,426
74	Parexel International Corp.	68.75	8.33%	25.30%	-25.63%	$325,148
75	New England Electric System	69.25	11.47%	-3.28%	-10.70%	$2,420,533
76	Liberty Financial Cos.	69.50	10.08%	-2.41%	-1.49%	$1,217,000
77	Independent Bank Corp.	69.50	17.14%	2.57%	11.14%	$63,308
78	HPSC Inc.	69.50	5.43%	36.74%	28.91%	$33,666
79	Stride Rite Corp.	70.00	8.65%	4.59%	1.76%	$539,413
80	Thermo Electron Corp.	70.25	8.33%	8.69%	-32.03%	$3,867,596
81	Century Bancorp Inc.	70.50	14.11%	15.75%	2.63%	$34,293
82	Allmerica Financial Corp.	71.25	8.31%	1.09%	-4.86%	$3,432,500
83	MetroWest Bank	72.00	17.13%	-7.02%	16.18%	$25,740
84	National Dentex Corp.	72.25	14.98%	7.81%	-0.06%	$63,817
85	Chase Corp.	72.25	29.92%	7.16%	-18.77%	$46,634
86	Thermo Power Corp.	73.00	4.45%	116.15%	-60.51%	$263,257
87	Eastern Enterprises	73.75	9.86%	-8.64%	-0.50%	$935,264
88	Specialty Catalog Corp.	74.00	20.53%	12.40%	-43.62%	$48,884
89	First Essex Bancorp Inc.	74.25	11.76%	13.80%	0.10%	$46,373
90	Boston Beer Inc.	75.25	10.34%	-2.13%	7.13%	$205,020
91	Swank Inc.	75.25	12.62%	10.72%	-31.76%	$151,770
92	UFP Technologies Inc.	75.75	10.97%	3.89%	21.08%	$47,220
93	Eastern Utilities Associates Inc.	79.00	9.29%	-5.23%	-3.52%	$538,801
94	Project Software & Development Inc.	79.00	8.48%	30.88%	-53.66%	$128,823
95	Thermo Optek Corp.	79.50	10.92%	-12.72%	-6.86%	$447,301
96	Eaton Vance Corp.	79.75	5.06%	29.67%	-81.61%	$270,191
97	Analog Devices Inc.	80.75	9.66%	-4.41%	-36.33%	$1,213,280
98	Davox Corp.	81.00	17.08%	6.46%	-46.31%	$88,948
99	L.S. Starrett Co.	81.50	10.13%	-5.13%	-5.69%	$247,742
100	BTU International Inc.	82.25	6.57%	8.35%	13.19%	$56,468
Source: Nordby International Inc., Boulder, Co.