Companies · Puzzle #35 · Tuesday, November 3
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
- Growth: 1 pt per 2.5% sales growth, last year
- Inventory: 1.5 pts per doubling over $100M, at year end
- California HQ: 10 pts if based in California
- Sales per employee: 2 pts per doubling over $60K a head, last year
- Dividends: 1 pt per doubling over $5M, last year
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
- Sales: 1.5 pts per doubling over $1.5B, last year
- Workforce: 1.5 pts per doubling over 2,500 staff, 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
Occidental
Oil and gas producer
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Mattel
Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price toys
On this board Mattel scored best in California HQ (10.0): headquartered in El Segundo, CA. Growth was its weakest fit (0.0): sales down 0.6% in the year to December 2025.
- Growth
- sales down 0.6% in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Inventory
- $563M of inventory at the end of December 2025 (3.7) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- California HQ
- headquartered in El Segundo, CA (10.0) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Sales per employee
- $173K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (3.1) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Dividends
- no dividends in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Buybacks
- $600M of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (5.9) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Sales
- $5.3B in sales in the year to December 2025 (2.8) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
- Workforce
- 31,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.4) Source: MATTEL INC /DE/ 10-K, filed 2026-02-23
DoorDash
Food and grocery delivery app
DoorDash's best fit on this board was Growth, worth 10.0: sales up 27.9% in the year to December 2025. Its weakest was Inventory, worth 0.0: no inventory at the end of December 2025.
- Growth
- sales up 27.9% in the year to December 2025 (10.0) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Inventory
- no inventory at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- California HQ
- headquartered in San Francisco, CA (10.0) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Sales per employee
- $437K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (5.7) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Dividends
- no dividends in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Sales
- $13.7B in sales in the year to December 2025 (4.8) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
- Workforce
- 31,400 employees at the end of December 2025 (5.5) Source: DoorDash, Inc. 10-K, filed 2026-02-18
Amgen
Biotech drugmaker behind Prolia and Repatha
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Lennar
Homebuilder
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
HCA Healthcare
Hospital chain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Marriott
Hotels, including Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton
Marriott's best fit on this board was Workforce, worth 10.0: 414,000 employees at the end of December 2025. Its weakest was Inventory, worth 0.0: no inventory at the end of December 2025.
- Growth
- sales up 4.3% in the year to December 2025 (1.7) 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
- California HQ
- headquartered in Bethesda, MD (0.0) 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
- Dividends
- $718M paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (7.2) 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
- Sales
- $26.2B in sales in the year to December 2025 (6.2) 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
Lockheed Martin
Fighter jets, missiles and space systems
Lockheed Martin's best fit on this board was Dividends, worth 9.3: $3.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025. Its weakest was California HQ, worth 0.0: headquartered in Bethesda, MD.
- Growth
- sales up 5.6% in the year to December 2025 (2.3) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Inventory
- $3.5B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (7.7) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- California HQ
- headquartered in Bethesda, MD (0.0) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Sales per employee
- $610K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (6.7) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Dividends
- $3.1B paid in dividends in the year to December 2025 (9.3) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Buybacks
- $3.0B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (8.2) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Sales
- $75.0B in sales in the year to December 2025 (8.5) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29
- Workforce
- 123,000 employees at the end of December 2025 (8.4) Source: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-29