Chevron has $43 billion in the bank at last count, and with more than $8 billion in annual free cash flow, look for that figure to keep on rising.

Management has sought to keep returning some of that cash to shareholders: the annual dividend has steadily risen from $1.43 in 2003 to a recent $3.60 a share.

Google is legendary for funding many internal ideas that would get the red light at other firms.

Management believes that you need to pursue a wide range of ideas raised by the company’s engineers and marketers, hoping one or two pay off handsomely.

Yet Google will also break out its checkbook when it spots an opportunity. The company shelled out a hefty $12.5 billion to acquire Motorola Mobility in 2011 in a bid to boost its presence in mobile. That works out to be roughly one year’s worth of free cash flow, implying Google can keep seeking out similar deals without even denting that cash balance.

But most of that cash is tied up in a range of joint ventures across 15 countries and four continents.

Still, a steadily rising payout has been the beneficiary of the unrestricted cash, enabling ConocoPhillips to offer investors a 4.5% dividend yield, the largest payout among the “oil majors.”

By the end of 2011, Ford’s debt had fallen below $100 billion — a $68 billion reduction — while cash dropped to $51 billion — a $36 billion reduction. That means Ford has managed to boost its financial strength by $32 billion in just four years — even as the auto industry has been in a big slump.

Ford’s cash balance is now more than ample to fund internal investments: Ford needs roughly $4 billion a year for capital expenditures. Ford has also signaled plans to pay greater attention to its dividend in 2013 (the current $0.20 annual payout works out to be paltry 1.9% yield). Also, look for the company to buy back big chunks of stock while the share price is so depressed. Either way, it’s a win/win for shareholders.

Investors are far more pleased with the company’s track record of stock buybacks: The share count has shrunk from 6.3 billion in 2005 to a recent 4.8 billion. A rising dividend also helps ease the pain of that botchedacquisition.

What will ExxonMobil do with its current $52 billion pile of cash? Likely more buybacks and an even fatter payout.

Over the years, Cisco has instead mostly focused its massive cash hoard in two other areas: acquisitions and buybacks. Cisco has made more acquisitions than any company in the world in the past 15 years, according to research firm Factset.

Cisco is also the king of stock buybacks, having re-acquired more than 1.6 billion of its shares since 2004. Its total share count has shrunk by nearly a quarter since then. With $56 billion still in the bank, Cisco may just be on the prowl for another acquisition that gives it newfound respect among investors.

The company picked up Skype for $8.5 billion roughly a year ago, and the move is already reaping many benefits according the company. That just might embolden the board to go out and seek another deal that sharpens Microsoft’s game against fast-moving rivals.

In fact, the current $73 billion cash balance could help to buy up dozens of small, promising tech companies, giving Mister Softee a foothold in newer, faster-growing markets.

You can probably forget about a major acquisition: Apple’s $2.5 billion in annual Research & Development (R&D) expenses appear to provide the company with all of the new products it needs.

As a possible surprise for investors, Apple could look to issue a one-time $50 billion or $75 billion cash dividend to shareholders.

Under CEO Jeff Immelt, GE has slowed down its pace of acquisitions, but Immelt’s trigger finger may be getting itchy.

GE’s current cash balance has swelled from $51 billion in 2007 to a recent $122 billon. As a first order of business, GE could pay more attention to its dividend, which has fallen from $1.24 in 2008 to a recent $0.68. Just restoring the dividend to its former luster would create a 5.6% dividend yield.

Still, that doesn’t stop Warren Buffett from using at least some of that cash to acquire high cash-flow businesses. In recent years, Berkshire has snapped up Burlington Northern, Lubrizol and others, while also holding stakes in companies such as American Express (NYSE: AXP ), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) and other publicly-traded firms.