For every company that stumbles and falls off the Fortune 500 list, another company takes its place. This year, 26 companies join the list, either as returnees or as newcomers.
Perhaps the sexiest newcomers this year are Netflix (NFLX), which comes in at No. 474, jumping from No. 563 in 2013, and Salesforce.com (CRM), which moves from 599 to No. 483. The fact that two fairly young tech companies appear on a list as prestigious and decidedly old-school as the Fortune 500 is a big step, and one that observers of cloud computing will likely notice.
Other consumer-facing brands new to the list this year include: Hanes (HBI), the apparel company famous for its underwear, which returns to the list at No. 490; Expedia (EXPE), the travel website that debuts at No. 458; and Lithia Motors (LAD), the auto dealership chain, which comes in at No. 482.
Other returnees include Harman International Industries (HAR) at No. 486, Amphenol (APH) at No. 487, Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) at No. 451, SpartanNash (SPTN) at No. 359, Trinity Industries (TRN) at No. 433, and Western & Southern Financial Group at No. 481.
Another interesting note to the list of newcomers is the inclusion of two spinoffs from much larger firms.
Voya Financial (VOYA), the new name for ING’s US arm — formerly a unit of the Dutch parent company — comes in at No. 268, while News Corp. (NWSA), which was spun off from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox (FOX) entertainment business, is at No. 331, perhaps providing some hope for print media lovers. Both companies had IPOs in 2013.
The highest ranked new entry on the list is Farmers Insurance Exchange at No. 264; the lowest ranked is Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), coming in at No. 496.
A wide range of industries is represented among the other newcomers, including financial data services, transportation equipment, aerospace, and even petroleum refining, which actually saw several companies fall off the list in the wake of the oil markets downturn.
Rounding out the list of debutantes is AGL Resources (GAS), Alliance Data Systems (ADS), A-Mark Precious Metals (AMRK), ARRIS Group (ARRS), Delek US Holdings (DK), Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Lansing Trade Group, LifePoint Hospitals (LPNT), Navient (NAVI), NGL Energy Partners (NGL), and Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (SPR).
Companies joining the list surely have cause to celebrate, but they won’t want to be complacent — after all, they don’t want to be a one-year wonder.
To see the full list, visit Fortune.com/Fortune500.
