2 Utah companies ranked on Forbes list of small firms

Two Utah companies are ranked on the 2003 Forbes magazine list of "200 Best Small Companies in America."

South Jordan-based Merit Medical Systems ranked 43rd, up from 53rd last year. The company has been ranked three consecutive years. It develops, manufactures and distributes disposable medical products used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology and radiology.

Nutritional supplement company Nutraceutical International of Park City was ranked 114th, down from 102nd a year ago.

Last year's list also included Utah Medical Products, which was ranked 71st.

Forbes picks the list by screening more than 3,500 companies whose latest 12-month sales were $5 million to $600 million and which were public before Jan. 1, 2001. Candidates were excluded if they had a net margin, excluding nonrecurring and extraordinary items, or five-year average return on equity below 5 percent, and shares had to be trading above $5 by the end of September. Banks, utilities, real estate investment trusts and limited partnerships were excluded. Equal weight was given to growth in sales, earnings and ROE for the past five years and the latest 12 months. Companies also were excluded if they faced major litigation that could adversely affect their finances or experienced significant management changes.