10 Most Evil Companies in The US

It is surprising to learn that the 10 most evil companies in the US are some very well-known names that most of us interact with in our daily lives. It takes time and considerable effort for a company to build its brand through consistent performance over the years. But it takes only a few seconds to spoil the hard earned name and fame.

Though these evil companies have hurt the society in some way or another, it is interesting to see that these are big companies and are successful in their businesses. Each of these stocks has given decent returns to shareholders and has been resilient enough to face the ups and downs their respective industry has seen in the past.

Most of these 10 most evil companies in the US belong to the financial oil and gas and media sectors. Companies regarded as evil are generally those organizations indulging into illegal actions by corporate leaders or misrepresenting facts about their product or service, product recalls due to adulteration, security breaches, unfair workplace culture etc. But there are companies that fall on the other side of this scale too. These are the 10 most respected and admired companies in America.

We will discuss at length these 10 most evil companies in the US on the following pages. The list has been compiled based on The Harris Poll conducted last year. The poll measures companies’ reputation strength based on 20 attributes classified into six corporate reputation dimensions: Social Responsibility, Emotional Appeal, Products and Services, Vision and Leadership, Financial. Combined together they create a Reputation Quotient. We have ranked the companies based on this score. Most of the companies fall within the 55-64 scoring bracket, that indicates poor reputation.

10. Sears Holdings Corporation – 64.69

With a Reputation quotient of 64.69, Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:SHLD) ranks tenth on our list of the most evil companies in the US. Sears Holding is the parent company of Kmart Holding Corporation and Sears, Roebuck and Co. The company has been particularly hit hard by competition from Amazon and has already closed a number of stores. It reported sales of $25 billion for the year ending January 2016 which was a sharp 20% drop from the previous year. But Sears has been challenged with falling sales and declining customer traffic since some time now. Its owner Eddie Lampert has been stripping off the company’s assets and does not seem willing to invest in the future. According to credit-rating agency Fitch Ratings, Sears is expected to burn $1.6 billion in cash in FY 2016, and an even more alarming $1.8 billion in 2017. Its stock price has more than halved over the last year as the company reported large losses. It lost over 96% over the last decade when the broader NASDAQ returned more than 130%.

9. Bank of America – 64.26

Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) is an American banking and financial multinational company. It is one of the Big Four banks in the United States and operates through 5,100 banking centers and 16,300 ATMs. Bank of America was viewed as the most responsible for the economic collapse and was subjected to many lawsuits and investigations regarding mortgages and disclosures following the great recession. The banking company’s reputation is the lowest among its customers and it is the most hated bank in the U.S. It has been despised by customers for charging a debit card or charging fees for letting you pay bills with it, high ATM fees etc. in the past. The bank is believed to care more about profits than its customers. The bank had also announced plans to cut up to 30,000 jobs in 2011. The stock performance has also been disappointing, down by 55% over the last ten years. Bank of America has a Reputation quotient of 64.26.

8. Dish Network – 62.22

We are continuing our list of most evil companies in the US  with the DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH) that has had customer service issues for a very long time. It is also regarded as one of the worst companies to work for. Employees often complain about poor pay and benefits, long hours and poor work-life balance. The company got into trouble in the recent past which led it to paying $6 million in a settlement with 46 state attorneys general, resolving allegations of violating do-not-call rules and engaging in unfair sales practices. The company’s stock price has gained by 50% in the past ten years though it has under performed the NASDAQ which was up 132%. The company‘s reputation quotient stands at 62.22.

7. AIG – 61.15

American International Group Inc. (NYSE:AIG) is known for almost going bankrupt during the financial crisis in 2008 and bringing down the entire U.S financial system. The company was ultimately bailed out by the government. Taxpayers despise the firm because it received nearly $180 billion in government aid. AIG became involved in a series of fraud investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission during 2005. The company has been accused of using methods to delay claims, developing schemes to reject automobile warranty claims etc. AIG has also fired a large number of people which has kept employee morale low. The shares of the company are down 95% over the last one decade. With a reputation quotient of 61.15 the company ranks as the seventh most evil company in the US.

6. Goldman Sachs – 60.44

With a score of 60.44, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) comes next on our list of most evil companies in the US. The global finance company engages in providing an array of financial services to a diversified client base. Its services range from global investment banking, to mergers and acquisitions advisory services, and brokerage and underwriting services. Like Bank of America, Goldman Sachs was also regarded as being one of the companies responsible for the economic crisis. The firm was bailed out by the U.S government after it was hit hard during the 2008 subprime crisis. Goldman Sachs has been accused of major market manipulations because of the bank’s unprecedented reach and power. Golddman Sachs’ stock is up by more than 12% over the last ten years, while NASDAQ has returned more than 130%.

5. Monsanto – 60.43

Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) is an American agricultural biotechnology corporation that engages in the production of genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds. Hence Monsanto has been on the radar of consumers who are afraid of consuming these genetically modified foods. The company has also witnessed millions of protesters opposing its business over the years. The U.S is a predominant grower and consumer of GMO crops and GMOs will inevitably become a larger part of the food supply. The company is one of the largest global players in the seed and agrochemical industry. The stock has outperformed both S&P index and Dow Jones by returning more than 95% over the last decade. Its Reputation quotient stands at 60.43.

4. Comcast – 60.21

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), the number 4 on our list of most evil companies in the US is the American communications company which is the most hated on grounds of poor customer service and bandwidth issues. Comcast has also been accused of controlling bandwidth to certain websites to regulate the high traffic created by live-streaming. Comcast is widely criticized by both the media and its own staff for poor employee relations. Comcast’s stock has returned more than 170% in the last ten years and also has a regular dividend payment history, with the current dividend yield standing at 1.67%. The company has a reputation quotient of 60.21.

3. BP – 59.13

With a reputation quotient of 59.13, BP plc (ADR) (NYSE:BP) is the third most-evil company in the US. BP’s reputation was shattered by the massive Gulf Coast oil spill and Deepwater explosion that adversely affected communities along the Gulf. The explosion killed 11 people and injured 16 others. This also resulted in severe environmental, health and economic consequences. Moreover Corexit that was used to deal with the oil spill is cancerous resulting in thousands of people in the Gulf suffering from health issues. BP was accused of being reckless and negligent. BP plc (ADR) (NYSE:BP)’s stock has slid by more than 40% over the last ten years.

2. Halliburton – 56.26

The second on our list of most evil companies in the US  is the Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) a large oilfield services American multinational company. The company has been involved in numerous controversies and, with a score of 56.26, it is the second most evil company on our list. The company made huge profits during the 2003 Iraq War when its ex-employee Dick Cheney held the office of the U.S Vice President. Halliburton has also been implicated in countless oil spills, including the BP disaster. The company was blamed for following poor practices during the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Halliburton was also accused of performing a poor cement job that caused a major blowout in the Timor Sea off Australia. Its stock has gained around 90% in the last decade.

1. Volkswagen Group – 54.75

Volkswagen AG (ADR) (OTCMKTS:VLKAY) tops the list of the 10 most evil companies in the US with a reputation quotient of 54.75. Volkswagen Group reputation fell steeply, dropping from a “very good” (75.21) score in 2015 to a “very poor” (54.75) rating in 2016. The German automaker was accused by the United States Environmental Protection Agency of hiding software in its diesel cars to cheat emissions tests. According to the EPA, the vehicles were emitting up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide than allowed. The company was blamed for deceiving consumers, and selling them the not so “clean diesel” models. It was forced to stop selling those models in Europe, Germany, UK and US. Its stock has provided shareholders with gains of around 40% in the last 10 years.

Disclosure: None