The BusinessWeek 50 Ranking
28
Adobe Systems
Last year was the best of all possible worlds for Adobe. Its core markets — advertising, publishing, and other creative industries — returned to relative stability. It was the first full year that the San Jose (Calif.) company sold its Creative Suite, bundling popular products such as Photoshop and InDesign. As digital cameras proliferate, so have sales of Photoshop for regular folks. Adobe also is starting to get a piece of the document security market by emphasizing tamperproof features on its Acrobat Reader software. Add it up, and Adobe's bottom line rose by 69%.
Company Info
| 2004 Rank | 183 |
| STOCK INFO | ADBE |
| Market Value | $15 BILLION |
| Total Return | (1-yr.) 65.9%
(3-yr.) 70.5% |
| 2004 sales | $1.7 BILLION |
| Sales Growth | (1-yr.) 29%
(3-yr.) 10.7% |
| Net income | $450.4 MILLION |
| Net Income Growth | (1-yr.) 69%
(3-yr.) 30.8% |
| Net Margin* | 27.0% |
| Return on Equity* | 31.6% |
| Industry | SOFTWARE & SERVICES |
| CORPORATE WEB SITE | |
More in S&P 500 Companies Scoreboard >
*Trailing 12 months
Company data as of 2/28/05 provided by Standard & Poor's Compustat
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Company Snapshot
Adobe Systems Incorporated offers a line of software and services for public and private sectors in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Creative Professional, Digital Imaging and Video, Intelligent Documents, and OEM PostScript and Other. Creative Professional segment provides software tools for professional publishing, Web design, business document publishing, and printing information. Its tools are also used to create printed and online information, including newspapers, magazines, Web sites, catalogs, advertisements, brochures, product documentation, technical manuals, books, memos, reports, and banners. Digital Imaging and Video segment offers solutions to create and enhance digital images and photographs, digital video, audio, and animations. Intelligent Documents segment provides both desktop and server-based software, which creates documents that can be viewed, interacted with, and integrated into existing business processes. OEM PostScript and Other segment offers production printing technology for graphics professionals and professional publishers; and also licenses its technology to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that manufacture printers and other output devices. The company also provides professional services, technical support, and customer services. In addition, it owns limited partnership interests in three venture capital limited partnerships that invest in early stage companies; and also makes direct investments in privately held companies. Adobe Systems’ customers include creative professionals, such as graphic designers, Web designers, videographers, photographers, and professional publishers; enterprise users, such as knowledge workers, information technology managers, line of business managers, and executives; and consumers, including digital imaging and digital video hobbyists. The company distributes its products through a network of distributors and dealers, value-added resellers, systems integrators, independent software vendors, and OEMs; direct to end users; and through its own Web site. Adobe Systems has international offices in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
No. of Employees
3,848
Data provided by 
