Company Research resources
Company Research Resources
Three things you need to know before you start
1. It is usually easier to find information about publicly owned companies than privately owned ones.
2. Generally, it’s easier to find information about corporations as a whole than their subsidiaries or divisions.
3. It is usually easier to find information about large, nationally known corporations than about local or regional ones.
Special Considerations
If your company is privately owned:
There may be very little information on your company if it is a small private company, especially a local company. Private companies are not required to report their financial information to the public. The best source of information might be articles in news sources for the city in which the company is located. These will usually be feature stories but probably will not offer much in the way of financial information. The company web site will only highlight what they want you to know so it cannot be considered a complete picture of the company.
If your company is a subsidiary:
If your company is a subsidiary or a division of a publicly owned corporation, you’ll find information less readily available. For example, the parent corporation is not required to divulge financial information for the separate divisions; therefore, details of the financial status of the subsidiary will be difficult to verify.
If your company is foreign owned:
An increasing number of foreign companies have established a U.S. division or subsidiary. You may encounter many of the same difficulties as you would in researching a private company.
If your company is local, regional, or otherwise small in scope:
When seeking information about companies of this kind, the best approach is usually the direct one—talk to the company itself. In this case, however, you’ll want to learn about the company before you speak directly to its representative at your interview. Look for articles in local publications like Business First, The Courier Journal or Louisville Magazine.
Electronic Sources on Library Web site
Financial Information
One page summary of company performance
Mergent Online (Enter company name, click “tear sheets” tab)
Lexis Nexis Academic (Click “Business” tab, enter company name)
Google Finance - For a quick profile of a public company's financial position
Annual reports to stock holders and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports
Lexis Nexis Academic (Click “Business” tab, Select “SEC Filings” at left of page, enter company name, next to “Sources” drop-down box, selects either “SEC form 10K” or “SEC Annual Report to Shareholders”)
Mergent (enter company name, select “Annual Reports” tab)
Annual Reports - Free Service allows users to review an annual report in an easy and convenient manner. Boasting the most complete and up-to-date listings of annual reports on the internet, AnnualReports.com provides instant access to annual reports in their actual format in one single location. Guide to SEC filings
Company Reports
Business Source Premier/ Datamonitor Reports - (Select “Company Profiles”, enter your company’s name)
Lexis Nexis Academic/ Hoover’s Company Reports -(Click “Business”, Click “Company Profiles”, enter company name, in “Search Terms” box, enter “Hoovers”.)
Articles in news and business publications
(for each database, click on database name and enter company name into search box)
Company Histories
Company Histories– International Directory of Company Histories (enter company name and click “Go”, click “Company History” on the left side of the screen)
Kevin Peers
Research Librarian
kpeers@bellarmine.edu
502-452-8315
Questions?
Bellarmine Library Reference Desk: 502-452-8317