Business home The first step in resarching a company is to determine whether a company is public (publicly traded) or private (privately held), parent or subsidiary. These sources will help you determine the status of a company: Not all companies are covered in these sources (especially smaller private companies), but checking these directories is a good first step. Usually, a subsidiary's financial information is not available separately from the parent company. Once you determine the status of a company, click the Company Research Databases button for a list of databases to search for additional information.
About Industry Classification: To find information about a company's competitors it is useful to know the company's industry classification code so that you can identify companies within the same industry. The current standard is the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code. Many sources continue to use the older Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, so it is a good idea to be familiar with both. These codes describe a company's line of business using a 4-digit (SIC) or 6-digit (NAICS) number. Searchable online NAICS: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html Searchable online SIC Manual: http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
Company Research Databases
- I need _____. Which database should I use?
- annual reports
- Mergent Online : On the main page, do a company search by company name or ticker symbol. On the main Business Summary results page, click on the Annual Reports tab. Most company annual reports are available for the last ten years.
- LexisNexis Academic : Click the Business tab on the LexisNexis main page. Type the company name or ticker symbol, then choose Financial Information.
- company's website
- articles
- beta
- brands/products
- company profile
- Factiva - On the main page, click the Companies/Markets link. On the following page, click the Company link. Under Get Company Snapshot, run a search for your company. On the results page, click the Reports link in the box on the left. You can then choose either a Detailed Company Profile Report or a Detailed Company Profile Report with Financial Results.
- competitors
- Mergent Online : Do a company search, then select the Competitors tab. This will typically list the top ten competitors along with brief financial and stock information. You can also create reports that compare the competitors in an industry (select "click here to create a competitors report").
- LexisNexis : Click the Business tab, then do a company search. Click on the hyper-linked Hoover’s Company Records—In-depth Records just below the company’s Business Description near the top of the company Snapshot page. On the next page, scroll two thirds down to the Competitors list
- Standard and Poor’s NetAdvantage: First click on the Companies tab, then do a company search. On the left-hand side, under Vital Statistics, click on Competitors to retrieve company names and brief financial information. Competitors covered will be hyper-linked.
- country profiles
- Datamonitor reports
- demographics
- EDGAR filings
- executives and other officers
- industry reports and analysis
- Marketline (Datamonitor Reports)
- Business & Company Resource Center
- international companies
- international economic conditions
- investment analysis
- Investext Investment Research contains research reports written by top analysts at over 1,000 leading investment banks, brokerage houses, and consulting firms worldwide. Nearly 4,000 new reports are added each business day.
- Value Line will provide authoritative investment analysis of not only companies and their competitors, but industries as well. On the main page, under Quick Index, click on Standard Edition, and then under Look Up Company type in the company’s name or ticker symbol and hit the Value Line icon. A new page will open, and the company’s investment analysis report is then available in either PDF or HTML formats.
- Business and Company Resource Center also provides investment analyses from a wealth of stock and company analysts. On the main page, select Company Search from the drop down menu and type in the company’s name or ticker symbol. Gale will typically produce multiple results matching your search request, so be sure to read the results carefully before clicking on the correct company name. The next page will be the Company Profile covering your company, and from there select the Investment Reports tab. There will you find investment analysis reports from a variety of reputable sources.
- Standard and Poor's Net Advantage provides stock reports and investment analysis by their own analysts. On the main page, click on the Companies tab, then run a company search. On the left side of the Company Profile results page, click Stock Reports to get stock statistics and investment analysis.
- LexisNexis Academic
- manufacturers
- market research reports
- market share
- patents & trademarks
- LexisNexis Academic: Select "Business" Search tab. Search by company name or ticker, then select "Intellectual Property Information" from the left menu.
- private companies
- product usage
- MediaMark Plus Click "Register for a FREE Account" and enter your IUPUI email address to create an account. Click here for instructions.
- rankings
- SEC filings
- stock quotes
- SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis
- MarketLine - Start by clicking Browse All Companies Information, then run a company search, either using the company name or ticker symbol. On the left-hand side, under the company overview, select SWOT Analysis.
- Business Source Premier - On the Basic Search page, type in the full company name. In the results box, click SWOT Analysis.
Business & Company Resource Center (public [profiles] and private [articles]): A fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals.
Hoover's Company Records : Covers more than 40,000 public and private companies and 225,000 key executives
LexisNexis Academic : Business search option includes public and private company directories; business, industry, and market news.
Datamonitor 360 : Company profiles for 50,000 public and private companies giving detailed insight into how companies are organized and function
Mergent Online : Extensive company profiles for domestic and foreign public companies with archives; includes detailed company histories and financial information with links to SEC filings; also country profiles.
The Million Dollar Database : U.S. private and public company profiles. Limited to 1 user at a time.
ReferenceUSA - ReferenceUSA is a detailed listing of 10.5 million businesses with the
ability to search by company name, type of business, geography, business size
and more.
Value Line (public): Contains Value Line Investment Surveys, which analyze the performance of approximately 8,000 stocks, 13,000 mutual funds, 80,000 options and other securities.
Article Databases: Indiana Newsstand Indianapolis Star (via ProQuest) Newspaper Source ProQuest Central
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Assistant Librarian
University Library
Room UL 2140D
katemery@iupui.edu
(317) 274-3532
UL Reference Desk
Interlibrary Loan
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Department Websites
Kelley School of Business Indianapolis
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