Companies · Puzzle #32 · Saturday, October 31
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
- Workforce: 1.5 pts per doubling over 2,500 staff, at year end
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
- Inventory: 1.5 pts per doubling over $100M, at year end
- Growth: 1 pt per 2.5% sales growth, last year
- Profit: 1.5 pts per doubling over $150M, last year
- Cash on hand: 1.5 pts per doubling over $200M, at year end
- Dividends: 1 pt per doubling over $5M, last year
- 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
GE Aerospace
Jet engines
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Progressive
Car insurance, with Flo
On this board Progressive scored best in Profit (9.4): $11.3B profit in the year to December 2025. Buybacks was its weakest fit (0.0): no buybacks in the year to December 2025.
- Workforce
- 70,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (7.2) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Inventory
- no inventory at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Growth
- sales up 16.3% in the year to December 2025 (6.5) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Profit
- $11.3B profit in the year to December 2025 (9.4) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Cash on hand
- $138M in cash at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Dividends
- $2.9B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (9.2) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Assets
- $123.0B in assets at the end of December 2025 (8.0) Source: PROGRESSIVE CORP/OH/ 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
Charles Schwab
Brokerage for investors
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Dick's Sporting Goods
Sporting goods stores
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Home Depot
Home improvement stores
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Adobe
Photoshop, Acrobat and creative software
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Eli Lilly
Drugmaker behind Mounjaro and Zepbound
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
AbbVie
Drugmaker behind Humira, Skyrizi and Botox
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.