Page 11 - Bloomberg Businessweek - November 19, 2018

Bloomberg Businessweek The Year Ahead 2019 50 Companies to Watch

40 Range Resources Corp. ▼ RRC US

Female board
Est. sales Est. EPS Total 12-month 1-year total membership
growth
sales
Energy growth 7.4% assets $2.7b return 11.1%
-12%
$11.8b
19.2%
Investors have lost their enthusiasm for Range from a high of $46.45 in June 2016 to $17.16 on Oct. 18.
Resources, an oil and natural gas exploration and Management’s commitment to spending its cash more
production company, since its 2016 purchase of efficiently, boosting productivity, and shedding some
Memorial Resources. Range’s share price has fallen assets to cut debt may renew optimism.
41 Rosneft Oil Co. ▲ ROSN LI

Est. sales Est. EPS Total 12-month 1-year total Female board
sales
growth
growth
assets
membership
return
Energy 3% 39.8% $203b $118b 34% 0%
Prospects for continued high oil prices and Rosneft’s and steady output will allow the company to reduce
capacity to raise production—it pumped 5.7 million debt and reassure investors, who will also embrace
barrels a day in the second quarter—bode well for the the $2 billion share buyback program. Expanded U.S.
Russian oil giant. A lean cost structure, weak ruble, sanctions remain a risk.
42 SoftBank Group Corp. ▼ 9984 JP
Conglomerate Est. sales -14.8% Total 12-month 1-year total Female board
Est. EPS
growth
assets
growth
sales
return
membership
$83.8b
$291b
-8.1%
0%
1.4%
SoftBank’s $100 billion tech fund may slow the pace of its mobile IPO to help finance the tech fund. The merger of 93
investments. An impending test will be whether Chairman subsidiary Sprint Corp. with T-Mobile is another pending
Masayoshi Son can pull off a 3 trillion yen ($26.3 billion) deal that may save SoftBank from taking on more debt.
▷ CEOs to Watch

Anthem Chief After Twenty-First General Electric Vodafone CEO
Executive Officer Century Fox Inc. CEO Larry Culp, Nick Read has been
Gail Boudreaux has completes the sale whose surprise closing deals in
been on a tear since of most of its assets appointment Australia and India.
becoming head of the second- to Walt Disney Co., Lachlan was announced on Oct. 1, He’s also been meeting with
largest U.S. insurer in November Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s is knee-deep in asset sales the European Commission as it
2017. She’s been trying to expand oldest son, will serve as CEO and other efforts to revive reviews Vodafone’s acquisitions
Anthem’s partnerships with Blue of the new Fox. The Murdochs the company. He’s also of cable assets in Germany and
Cross Blue Shield to gain clients, are counting on live news and dealing with investigations Central and Eastern Europe. “It
create Anthem’s own pharmacy sports to withstand the threat by the U.S. Securities and was a very active summer, which
benefit manager—expected of on-demand streaming. Exchange Commission and the is why I have zero tan,” he said at
to launch in early 2020—and Department of Justice into GE’s a September conference. —Nick
improve digital capabilities. accounting practices. Leiber and Anousha Sakoui

43 Synchrony Financial ▼ SYF US

Financials Est. sales 29.5% Total 12-month 1-year total Female board
Est. EPS
return
membership
growth
growth
sales
assets
-9.7%
$99b
9.4%
33.3%
$12.7b
Losing Walmart usually isn’t a good thing, and Synchrony and growth in its Amazon.com card business will help
will lose the Walmart store-card program next year. Its soften the blow. The company may also lose its deal with
expanded deal with PayPal—which includes the recent Walmart’s Sam’s Club. It recently renewed contracts with
purchase of almost $8 billion worth of consumer loans— Lowe’s Cos. and J.C. Penney Co.