Business: Company Research
Finding Company Profiles
Starting questions: Under what names is this company known? Who owns them? Is it private or public?
- Business Source CompleteClick on the "Company Information" link and enter the company's name or ticker symbol.
- Nexis Uni (Business)Company Dossiers, Company Lists and Comparisons, Company Reports, and more.
- Regional Business NewsThis database provides comprehensive full text coverage for regional business publications. Regional Business News incorporates coverage of 75 business journals, newspapers and newswires from all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States. This database is updated on a daily basis.
- Times-Picayune with Historical Archives, 1837-present (Newsbank)Also includes the Weekly Times-Picayune (1914-1918). Note: Some issues published within the date range may be missing. Efforts to locate and add any such missing issues are ongoing.
Private Companies
Since private companies are not required to file reports with the SEC, inforamtion is not always available on these companies.
One strategy is to see what a company will provide you directly. Some private companies do produce annual reports and sometimes post them on company websites. Keep in mind that there are no regulations or guidelines on this information. It is provided for promotional reasons as a courtesy by the company.
Another strategy is simply to look up articles about the company. Sometimes these will include financial information and more general information that can help you evaluate a company.
The following resources can help you find what information is available:
- Business Source CompleteSearch academic journals, industry profiles, trade publications, and more for information and articles on a company.
- Nexis Uni (Business)May provide annual sales and employee figures in company profiles.
Government Filings
Some major types of reports filed with the SEC:
- 10 K Reports - Annual reports
- 10 Q Reports - Quarterly reports
- Proxy Statements - Issued to stockholders prior to important votes and often includes ownership and executive salary information.
These reports and more can be found using the following tools:
- EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval)Search EDGAR for real-time filings and other company information. (A resource of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.) Contains 10 K Reports, 10 Q Reports, Proxy Statements, and more.
- Nexis Uni (Business)When you retrieve a company record choose "SEC Filings" from the left sidebar.