Leggett & Platt makes Forbes' 'Most Admired' list

Carthage-based Leggett & Platt Inc. (NYSE: LEG) made Forbes’ annual list of the World’s Most Admired Companies, but it did not crack the top 50.

The manufacturer scored sixth in its industry with an overall score of 6.16, which was even with the 2014 list. Of the six companies listed in the home equipment and furnishings category, Whirlpool took the top spot with a total score of 6.9. Leggett & Platt’s next closest competitor on the list, Steelcase Inc., scored 6.17 overall.

The only locally based company on the list, Leggett & Platt scored highest on financial soundness and long-term investment value, ranking third in both among industry peers. Its overall industry score was 6.16, taking into account categories including innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, management quality, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.

Leggett & Platt posted 2014 earnings of $98 million, a 50.3 percent decrease from $197.3 million in 2013. Its assets were $3.1 billion as of Dec. 31, and it employed 19,000 at 130 manufacturing centers in 18 countries, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Forbes’ 2015 list placed Apple as the No. 1 most admired company, following by Google and Berkshire Hathaway.[[In-content Ad]]