| Rank |
Company name |
1998 return on
average equity |
| 1 |
Waters Corp. |
69.14% |
| 2 |
Mathsoft Inc. |
63.52% |
| 3 |
Boston Acoustics Inc. |
52.20% |
| 4 |
Candela Corp. |
45.23% |
| 5 |
Lo-Jack Corp. |
43.06% |
| 6 |
TJX Companies |
37.47% |
| 7 |
Summit Technology Inc. |
35.26% |
| 8 |
Tech/Ops Sevcon Inc. |
35.22% |
| 9 |
Keane Inc. |
31.04% |
| 10 |
Kollmorgen Corp. |
30.06% |
| 11 |
Chase Corp. |
29.92% |
| 12 |
EG&G Corp. |
28.02% |
| 13 |
EMC Corp. |
27.84% |
| 14 |
Alpha Industries Inc. |
27.45% |
| 15 |
American Science & Engineering Inc. |
27.31% |
| 16 |
DeWolfe Companies Inc. |
27.09% |
| 17 |
Cambridge Technology Partners Inc. |
26.43% |
| 18 |
Perini Corp. |
25.48% |
| 19 |
Sipex Corp. |
24.70% |
| 20 |
Peoples Bancshares Inc. |
24.07% |
| 21 |
Gillette Co. |
23.50% |
| 22 |
New England Business Service Inc. |
23.23% |
| 23 |
Progress Software Corp. |
22.86% |
| 24 |
Concord Communications Inc. |
22.63% |
| 25 |
Biogen Inc. |
22.10% |
| 26 |
CMGI Inc. |
21.91% |
| 27 |
United Asset Management Corp. |
21.57% |
| 28 |
Lawrence Savings Bank |
20.89% |
| 29 |
Specialty Catalog Corp. |
20.53% |
| 30 |
State Street Corp. |
20.25% |
| 31 |
Atlantic Bank |
19.99% |
| 32 |
Steinway Musical Instruments |
19.88% |
| 33 |
Maxwell Shoe Co. |
19.65% |
| 34 |
Plymouth Rubber Co. Inc. |
19.39% |
| 35 |
Wyman-Gordon Co. |
19.06% |
| 36 |
Boston Private Financial Holdings |
18.92% |
| 37 |
Geotel Communications Corp. |
18.89% |
| 38 |
Cabot Corp. |
18.74% |
| 39 |
Kronos Inc. |
18.47% |
| 40 |
Lifeline Systems Inc. |
18.14% |
| 41 |
Fleet Financial Group Inc. |
17.97% |
| 42 |
BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. |
17.57% |
| 43 |
DM Management Co. |
17.37% |
| 44 |
Parametric Technology Corp. |
17.26% |
| 45 |
SLI Inc. |
17.21% |
| 46 |
Independent Bank Corp. |
17.14% |
| 47 |
MetroWest Bank |
17.13% |
| 48 |
BankBoston Corp. |
17.12% |
| 49 |
Davox Corp. |
17.08% |
| 50 |
Courier Corp. |
16.84% |
| 51 |
The First Years Inc. |
16.58% |
| 52 |
Forrester Research Inc. |
16.05% |
| 53 |
BEC Energy |
15.97% |
| 54 |
Harcourt General Inc. |
15.95% |
| 55 |
Instron Corp. |
15.71% |
| 56 |
PCD Inc. |
15.67% |
| 57 |
AnikaTherapeutics Inc. |
15.50% |
| 58 |
Carematrix Inc. |
15.47% |
| 59 |
Home Port Bancorp Inc. |
15.45% |
| 60 |
Andover Bancorp Inc. |
15.24% |
| 61 |
Object Design Inc. |
15.17% |
| 62 |
Excel Switching Corp. |
15.10% |
| 63 |
National Dentex Corp. |
14.98% |
| 64 |
Xtra Corp. |
14.96% |
| 65 |
American Biltrite Inc. |
14.90% |
| 66 |
Warren Bancorp Inc. |
14.77% |
| 67 |
Psychemedics Corp. |
14.70% |
| 68 |
Neiman-Marcus Group Inc. |
14.58% |
| 69 |
Watts Industries Inc. |
14.34% |
| 70 |
Oak Industries Inc. |
14.27% |
| 71 |
Commerce Group Inc. |
14.24% |
| 72 |
Century Bancorp Inc. |
14.11% |
| 73 |
UniFirst Corp. |
14.06% |
| 74 |
Staples Inc. |
13.47% |
| 75 |
Security Dynamics Technologies Inc. |
13.27% |
| 76 |
Litchfield Financial Corp. |
13.17% |
| 77 |
Mestek Inc. |
12.78% |
| 78 |
Westbank Corp. |
12.76% |
| 79 |
Houghton Mifflin Co. |
12.75% |
| 80 |
PolyMedica Corp. |
12.68% |
| 81 |
Mac-Gray Corp. |
12.63% |
| 82 |
Swank Inc. |
12.62% |
| 83 |
Abington Bancorp Inc. |
12.60% |
| 84 |
Commonwealth Energy System |
12.48% |
| 85 |
Thermo Fibertek Inc. |
12.45% |
| 86 |
Medford Savings Bank |
12.02% |
| 87 |
MicroTouch Systems Inc. |
11.91% |
| 88 |
First Essex Bancorp Inc. |
11.76% |
| 89 |
Sapient Corp. |
11.61% |
| 90 |
New England Electric System |
11.47% |
| 91 |
UFP Technologies Inc. |
10.97% |
| 92 |
Thermo Optek Corp. |
10.92% |
| 93 |
UST Corp. |
10.81% |
| 94 |
Teradyne Inc. |
10.40% |
| 95 |
Boston Beer Inc. |
10.34% |
| 96 |
MASSBANK Corp. |
10.19% |
| 97 |
L.S. Starrett Co. |
10.13% |
| 98 |
Liberty Financial Cos. |
10.08% |
| 99 |
Concentra Managed Care Inc. |
10.08% |
| 100 |
Eastern Enterprises |
9.86% |
| Source: Nordby International, Inc.,
Boulder, CO |
