One of the world's largest distributors of IT products Tech Data (News - Alert) Corporation has been named a "World's Most Admired Company" by FORTUNE magazine for the third consecutive year. Tech Data is the highest-ranked distributor in the Wholesalers: Electronics and Office Equipment category, ranking third overall in the sector.

The World's Most Admired list is created by global management consulting firm the Hay Group through use of surveying company executives, directors, and industry analysts within 1,400 companies. Overall, Hay Group surveyed a total of 698 companies from 32 countries. The 1,000 largest U.S. companies were ranked by revenue, non-U.S. companies in FORTUNE's Global 500 database with revenue of $10 billion or more, and the top foreign companies operating in the U.S.

Tech Data Corporation, one of the world's largest wholesale distributors of technology products, services and solutions. Its advanced capabilities and services enable 125,000 resellers in more than 100 countries to efficiently support the diverse technology needs of users. Generating $26.5 billion in net sales for the 2012 fiscal year, Tech Data is ranked 109th on the Fortune 500.

"Tech Data and our 8,300 employees around the world are proud to again be named to this prestigious list," said Bob Dutkowsky, chief executive officer of Tech Data Corporation, in a press release. "In challenging times, our team has worked tirelessly to deliver solutions for our customers, drive results for our vendor partners, generate returns for our shareholders, serve the communities in which we operate and foster an engaging environment for each other. In addition to our great people, this is also a testament to our proven strategy of execution, diversification and innovation, which has helped us to successfully adapt to the changing needs of our markets."

FORTUNE's World's Most Admired Companies 2012 list is available online at FORTUNE.com. The complete list will be featured in FORTUNE's March 19 issue, available on newsstands next week.