Companies · Puzzle #15 · Wednesday, October 14
Companies: the board
Eight items, eight categories, one place each. Here is the board with every figure and where it comes from, and the best way to place them. Play today's Companies.
The categories
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
- Heritage: 1 pt per 15 years old
- Profit margin: 1 pt per 3% margin, last year
- Workforce: 1.5 pts per doubling over 2,500 staff, at year end
- Assets: 1.5 pts per doubling over $3B, at year end
- On the Nasdaq: 10 pts if listed on the Nasdaq
- Off-calendar year: 10 pts if its year ends off December
- Dividends: 1 pt per doubling over $5M, last year
The best board
- Elevance Health in Buybacks: $2.6B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (8.0)
- CME Group in Profit margin: a 62.5% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (10.0)
- Warner Bros. Discovery in On the Nasdaq: trades on the Nasdaq (10.0)
- Amgen in Dividends: $5.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (10.0)
- Darden (Olive Garden) in Workforce: 209,931 employees at the end of May 2026 (9.6)
- Citigroup in Assets: $2.7T in assets at the end of December 2025 (10.0)
- Levi Strauss in Off-calendar year: its fiscal year ends in November (10.0)
- Colgate-Palmolive in Heritage: founded in 1806, 220 years ago (10.0)
The most this board could score: 77.6 of 80.
The lineup, figure by figure
Elevance Health
Health insurance, including Anthem Blue Cross
- Buybacks
- $2.6B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (8.0) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Heritage
- founded in 1940, 86 years ago (5.7) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Profit margin
- a 2.8% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (0.9) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Workforce
- 97,100 employees at the end of December 2025 (7.9) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Assets
- $121.5B in assets at the end of December 2025 (8.0) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
- Dividends
- $1.5B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (8.3) Source: Elevance Health, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-06
CME Group
Futures and options exchanges
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Heritage
- founded in 2007, 19 years ago (1.3) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Profit margin
- a 62.5% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Workforce
- 3,875 employees at the end of December 2025 (0.9) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Assets
- $198.4B in assets at the end of December 2025 (9.1) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Dividends
- $3.9B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (9.6) Source: CME GROUP INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. films, HBO and CNN
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Heritage
- founded in 1923, 103 years ago (6.9) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Profit margin
- a 1.9% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (0.7) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Workforce
- 35,500 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.7) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Assets
- $100.1B in assets at the end of December 2025 (7.6) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
- Dividends
- no dividends in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-27
Amgen
Biotech drugmaker behind Prolia and Repatha
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Heritage
- founded in 1980, 46 years ago (3.1) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Profit margin
- a 21.0% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (7.0) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Workforce
- 31,500 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.5) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Assets
- $90.6B in assets at the end of December 2025 (7.4) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
- Dividends
- $5.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: AMGEN INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-13
Darden (Olive Garden)
Owner of Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse
- Buybacks
- $672M of its own stock bought back in the year to May 2026 (6.1) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Heritage
- founded in 1968, 58 years ago (3.9) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Profit margin
- a 9.1% profit margin in the year to May 2026 (3.0) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Workforce
- 209,931 employees at the end of May 2026 (9.6) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Assets
- $12.9B in assets at the end of May 2026 (3.2) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in May (10.0) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
- Dividends
- $693M paid in dividends in the year to May 2026 (7.1) Source: DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC 10-K, filed 2026-07-24
Citigroup
Citi bank and credit cards
- Buybacks
- $13.3B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Heritage
- founded in 1812, 214 years ago (10.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Profit margin
- a 16.8% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (5.6) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Workforce
- 226,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (9.7) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Assets
- $2.7T in assets at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Dividends
- $5.4B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: CITIGROUP INC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
Levi Strauss
Levi's jeans
- Buybacks
- $31M of its own stock bought back in the year to November 2025 (1.6) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Heritage
- founded in 1853, 173 years ago (10.0) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Profit margin
- a 9.2% profit margin in the year to November 2025 (3.1) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Workforce
- 19,000 employees at the end of November 2025 (4.4) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Assets
- $6.8B in assets at the end of November 2025 (1.8) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in November (10.0) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
- Dividends
- $213M paid in dividends in the year to November 2025 (5.4) Source: LEVI STRAUSS & CO 10-K, filed 2026-01-28
Colgate-Palmolive
Toothpaste, soap and Hill's pet food
- Buybacks
- $1.2B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (6.9) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Heritage
- founded in 1806, 220 years ago (10.0) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Profit margin
- a 10.5% profit margin in the year to December 2025 (3.5) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Workforce
- 33,600 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.6) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Assets
- $16.3B in assets at the end of December 2025 (3.7) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Off-calendar year
- its fiscal year ends in December (0.0) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Dividends
- $1.8B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (8.5) Source: COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO 10-K, filed 2026-02-23