Companies · Puzzle #16 · Thursday, October 15
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
- Dividends: 1 pt per doubling over $5M, last year
- Sales per employee: 2 pts per doubling over $60K a head, last year
- Inventory: 1.5 pts per doubling over $100M, at year end
- On the Nasdaq: 10 pts if listed on the Nasdaq
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
- Workforce: 1.5 pts per doubling over 2,500 staff, at year end
- Cash on hand: 1.5 pts per doubling over $200M, at year end
- Assets: 1.5 pts per doubling over $3B, at year end
The best board
The best board is hidden while some of these items are still in play: they're on a board again within 14 days.
The lineup, figure by figure
TJX (T.J. Maxx)
Off-price stores T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Oracle
Database software and cloud computing
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Block (Square)
Square card readers and Cash App
On this board Block (Square) scored best in Sales per employee (10.0): $2.37M in sales per employee in the year to December 2025. Dividends was its weakest fit (0.0): no dividends in the year to December 2025.
- Dividends
- no dividends in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Sales per employee
- $2.37M in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Inventory
- $158M of inventory at the end of December 2025 (1.0) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Buybacks
- $2.3B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (7.9) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Workforce
- 10,205 employees at the end of December 2025 (3.0) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Cash on hand
- $6.6B in cash at the end of December 2025 (7.6) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Assets
- $39.5B in assets at the end of December 2025 (5.6) Source: Block, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
Tractor Supply
Farm, ranch and country-living stores
Tractor Supply trades on the Nasdaq, so its best fit on this board was On the Nasdaq, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Cash on hand, worth 0.0: $194M in cash at the end of December 2025.
- Dividends
- $488M paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (6.6) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Sales per employee
- $299K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (4.6) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Inventory
- $3.1B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (7.4) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Buybacks
- $361M of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (5.2) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Workforce
- 52,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (6.6) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Cash on hand
- $194M in cash at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
- Assets
- $10.9B in assets at the end of December 2025 (2.8) Source: TRACTOR SUPPLY CO /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-19
Qualcomm
Chips and modems inside smartphones
On this board Qualcomm scored best in On the Nasdaq (10.0): it trades on the Nasdaq. Assets was its weakest fit (6.1): $50.1B in assets at the end of September 2025.
- Dividends
- $3.8B paid in dividends in the year to September 2025 (9.6) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Sales per employee
- $852K in sales per employee in the year to September 2025 (7.7) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Inventory
- $6.5B of inventory at the end of September 2025 (9.0) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Buybacks
- $8.8B of its own stock bought back in the year to September 2025 (9.8) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Workforce
- 52,000 employees at the end of September 2025 (6.6) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Cash on hand
- $5.5B in cash at the end of September 2025 (7.2) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
- Assets
- $50.1B in assets at the end of September 2025 (6.1) Source: QUALCOMM INC/DE 10-K, filed 2025-11-05
Duke Energy
Electric and gas utility
On this board Duke Energy scored best in Dividends (9.4): $3.3B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025. On the Nasdaq was its weakest fit (0.0): it trades on the NYSE.
- Dividends
- $3.3B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (9.4) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Sales per employee
- $1.20M in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (8.6) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Inventory
- $4.6B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (8.3) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Workforce
- 26,441 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.1) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Cash on hand
- $245M in cash at the end of December 2025 (0.4) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
- Assets
- $195.7B in assets at the end of December 2025 (9.0) Source: Duke Energy CORP 10-K, filed 2026-02-26
Marriott
Hotels, including Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton
Marriott trades on the Nasdaq, so its best fit on this board was On the Nasdaq, worth 10.0. Its weakest was Inventory, worth 0.0: no inventory at the end of December 2025.
- Dividends
- $718M paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (7.2) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Sales per employee
- $63K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (0.1) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Inventory
- no inventory at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the Nasdaq (10.0) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Buybacks
- $3.3B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (8.4) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Workforce
- 414,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Cash on hand
- $358M in cash at the end of December 2025 (1.3) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
- Assets
- $27.5B in assets at the end of December 2025 (4.8) Source: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC /MD/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-10
Abbott
Medical devices, diagnostics and Ensure
Abbott's best fit on this board was Dividends, worth 9.7: $4.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025. Its weakest was On the Nasdaq, worth 0.0, since it trades on the NYSE.
- Dividends
- $4.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (9.7) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Sales per employee
- $385K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (5.4) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Inventory
- $6.5B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (9.0) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- On the Nasdaq
- trades on the NYSE (0.0) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Buybacks
- $893M of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (6.5) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Workforce
- 115,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (8.3) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Cash on hand
- $8.5B in cash at the end of December 2025 (8.1) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20
- Assets
- $86.7B in assets at the end of December 2025 (7.3) Source: ABBOTT LABORATORIES 10-K, filed 2026-02-20