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Blind Ticker data and methodology

Where the numbers come from

Blind Ticker is built from structured financial data that public companies file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We use the Commission’s public application programming interfaces: the XBRL frames service for revenue, net income and total assets, the company submissions service for industry classification and business address, and the public ticker file for ticker symbols and listing exchange.

Which companies are included

The dataset includes roughly one thousand companies that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, report a business address in a US state or the District of Columbia, file as operating companies and report revenue and net income for the same recent fiscal year, plus total assets. Companies whose filed figures are implausible, such as net income larger than twice revenue, are left out. Companies are ranked by revenue, and the daily puzzle draws from the largest few hundred so that answers are recognizable. Unlimited mode uses the full list. Foreign companies that file annual reports on other forms are not included.

How each field is defined

  • Revenue is the annual value tagged as total revenues or as revenue from contracts with customers for the most recent fiscal year that also has a reported net income. When a company reports several revenue concepts for the same period, total revenues take priority.
  • Net income is net income or loss for the same fiscal year as revenue.
  • Net margin is net income divided by revenue.
  • Total assets is the balance sheet total closest to the end of the most recent calendar year.
  • Sector is the division of the Standard Industrial Classification code assigned to the company, and industry is the code’s description.
  • HQ state is the state in the company’s business address.

Figures are rounded to the nearest million dollars.

Limitations

Fiscal years end at different times, so two companies’ “latest year” can cover different months. Companies sometimes restate results, change classification codes or tag figures inconsistently. Standardized figures can also differ from the adjusted numbers companies highlight in earnings releases. We review obvious errors, but the data may still contain mistakes.

Updates and fairness

We refresh the dataset periodically. The company chosen for a published puzzle never changes, but its figures may be refreshed when the dataset is updated. If a correction is needed for a company that appears in a future puzzle, the change is made before that day. To report a data problem, email hello@guessday.com with the puzzle number.

Attribution and independence

Financial data is derived from filings published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through its EDGAR system, which is a work of the United States government. Guessday is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the Commission, any stock exchange or any company in the game. Company names and tickers identify the businesses described and remain the property of their owners. Nothing on this site is investment advice.