Return on assets (ROA) tells us how efficient a company is in utilising its assets. We calculated the ROA for all the 400 listed companies with a market capitalisation of below RM1 bil for the financial year 2018 (FY16). The company with the highest ROA was named the winner.

We compiled a company’s revenue for the past three years and then calculated the compound annual growth rate (CAGR). A company had to show consistent revenue growth, excluding any extraordinary gains. The company with the highest three-year revenue CAGR was named the winner.

We compiled a company’s net profit for the past three years and then calculated the compound annual growth rate (CAGR). A company had to show consistent growth, not just sharp spurts (excluding any extraordinary gains and growth). The company with the highest three-year net profit CAGR was the winner.

How fast a company makes money from its operations may be the single most important factor in evaluating its health and current growth. Cash is King. Hence, having a healthy cashflow is very important for companies. A company had to show consistent growth, excluding any extraordinary gains and growth. The company with the highest three year cashflow from operations was the winner.

The higher the better. This is a very important figure for investors who look for gains from investment stocks. We selected the company with the highest dividend yield for FY18.

The strength of a company is determined by its enterprise value (EV), beyond mere market capitalization, which is subjected to vagaries of the market. We looked at a company’s enterprise value growth rate over two years for all the companies under consideration. The company with the highest year-on-year EV growth was named the winner.

We put a weighted score on three main areas which were broken down into subsections to determine how comprehensive the company’s sustainability reporting was. These included providing stakeholders with a complete view of the company’s operations linking it to its business goals and credibility, how much of what was reported has in fact materialised into action on the ground and how well the report communicates is intentions and results to its declared target audience. The company with the highest weighted score was the winner.

We put a weighted score on six factors to determine how transparent a company is based on its disclosure to shareholders. These included: a transparency pledge, time taken to file annual financial results, precise remuneration of directors, AGM minutes, video recording or podcast, dividend policy statement and whistle-blower policy. The company with the highest weighted score was the winner.

We put a weighted score on six factors to determine how transparent a company is based on its disclosure to shareholders. These included: a transparency pledge, time taken to file annual financial results, precise remuneration of directors, AGM minutes, video recording or podcast, dividend policy statement and whistle-blower policy. The company with the highest weighted score was the winner.

This category aims to reward a company which has succeeded in navigating through headwinds to return to profitability. We analyse companies which have been performing poorly in the last three years (2015, 2016 and 2017), but have successfully steered clear of their travails in a significant manner. For such perfomance to be termed a "turnaround", the return of the company to the black has to be due to deft handling of its business. Profits due to sale of assets and extraordinary items are excluded.

The editors’ choice of best CEO was based on factors such as leadership skills, dynamism and business acumen. On a broader note, the editors analysed how CEOs steered their companies to greater heights and success.

The Best Under Billion Awards categories were divided into financial performance, efficiency and transparency. With a 30:30:40 weightage given to each of the categories respectively, the Overall Winner had the highest scores in all three areas.