Top 10 Performing VARBusiness 500 Stocks Of 2008

2008 was a bust for most public companies and their investors. The economic downturn has left many companies in financial disarray. But there were some who bucked the trend through solid management, quality products and top services. Here are the VARBusiness 500 companies who fit the bill.

Ranked 278 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, Micro Focus saw solid growth in its stock price last year. Moving from $258.25 to $282.50, the solution provider's investors saw a 9.4 percent change -- in a positive direction, unlike many of its competitors. This month, Micro Focus, which provides software to assess and manage core enterprise applications, announced it had completed the acquisition of Relativity Technologies. The solution provider develops applications and software that help customers' business applications respond rapidly to market changes and evolve to modern architectures with reduced cost and risk.

Softchoice, 2008 VARBusiness 500 #78, saw a healthy 10.8 percent growth in its stock price during the past 12 months. With Softchoice's stock at $33.39 last Jan. 2, it grew to $37 by Dec. 31. Softchoice provides technology solutions and services and has recently received publicity by promoting a "green" business attitude, through creating more energy-efficient solutions, improving productivity and driving long-term cost-savings for businesses. The company has 973 employees in the United States and Canada.

Pegasystems saw impressive stock growth in the past 12 months, with prices moving to $12.36 from $11.03 per share, a 12.1 percent increase. The 25-year-old solution provider is no stranger to downturns in the economy. The company, ranked #212 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, specializes in business process management, helping customers become more competitive and innovative through its trademarked "Build for Change" technology. Pegasystems said it can help clients improve revenue growth to more than 30 percent and cost reductions of greater than 40 percent.

S1, ranked #175 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, saw its stock price rise 12.7 percent year over year, to $7.89 from $7. The solution provider last month announced the appointment of Paul Parrish as its chief financial officer. Parrish came from Infor Global Solutions, a global enterprise software company. S1 provides customer interaction software for financial and payment services and offers solutions for financial institutions, retailers and processors under three brand names: Postilion, S1 Enterprise and FSB Solutions.

Ranked #74 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, ePlus' stock rose to $10.51 from $9.25 per share in a year's time -- a 13.6 percent increase. The company helps its customers build and maintain all aspects of their IT infrastructures, from financing to productivity enhancement to improving efficiency through business process solutions and supply chain software. The VAR's customer base comprises various business segments, including financial services/banking, utilities, pharmaceutical, manufacturing/distribution, retail, health care and government.

Ranked 113 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, Stanley has parlayed its services offerings into winning numbers for its investors. The company started last year with a stock price of $31.28 and ended 2008 at $36.22 per share, a change of 15.8 percent. The company provides information technology services and solutions to the United States defense and federal civilian government agencies. In late Fall, Stanley was awarded a five-year, firm-fixed price contract valued at $119 million by the U.S. Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center to support the Marine Corps Enterprise Network Secret Internet Protocol Routed Network.

CSG Systems, 2008 VARBusiness 500 #111, is a solution provider specializing in customer interaction management and billing solutions. The company saw its stock price increase to $17.47 from $14.29, an increase of 22.3 percent. CSG's revenue has increased each of the last four quarters. On Jan. 6, CSG completed the acquisition of Quaero, a marketing services provider.

Ranked #55 on the 2008 VARBusiness 500, ManTech International has reported revenue growth in each of the last four quarters. Its stock price increased to 54.19 on Dec. 31 from 42.43 one year ago, an increase of 27.7 percent. The VAR is a leading provider of innovative technologies and solutions for mission-critical national security programs for the U.S. federal government. It has more than 7,600 employees. Late last year, ManTech acquired privately-held EWA Services, and in a statement noted it expected EWA to generate 2009 revenue of $20 million with solid operating margins.

NCI (NCIT), ranked #143 on the VARBusiness 500, saw impressive stock growth last year. Its average stock price went to $30.13 on Dec. 31 2008 from $16.17 on Jan. 2, 2007, showing overall growth of 86.3 percent. The company provides information technology, engineering and professional services and solutions to U.S. Federal Government agencies. Last month, NCI announced it was awarded a TEIS task order for roughly $3.7 million, with a potential value of $90.5 million.

TeleCommunication Systems, 2008 VARBusiness 500 rank 226, saw its stock surge last year, rising from to $8.59 a share from $3.71 a share, an increase of 131.5 percent. The company has reported record earnings consecutively in its recent (2008, 2007) quarters. TeleCommunication Systems provides mission-critical wireless data solutions to government, public safety and carrier customers. Its offerings include secure deployable communication systems and engineered satellite-based services; location-based wireless and VoIP Enhanced 911 services; messaging and location service infrastructure for wireless operators; and commercial location applications, such as traffic and navigation, using the precise location of a wireless device.