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Sources by Topic
Specialized Databases
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Company ResearchLibrarian: Greg TourinoDirectories . Profiles . Histories . Financials . Ratios & Rankings . Market Share . Stocks . Private . Local . News Identify Companies Using DirectoriesDirectories usually provide an address and phone numbers, executive names, industry codes, estimated sales, and number of employees. Some directories provide much more information -- biographies of officers, detailed financial information, stock reports, news, analyses of business strategies and recent developments, and more. Online directories will allow you to generate a list of companies based on various criteria.
D&B Million Dollar Directory D&B Principal International Businesses
Sources of Company Profiles
Company HistoriesThese sources may give you information about ownership, brands or products, mergers, board of directors, name changes and of course, the history of the company.
Sources of Company FinancialsBusiness researchers and investors often use Financial Reports, Annual Reports or 10-K's. Financial Reports tend to be of two kinds: balance sheets and income statements. A balance sheet is a status report that describes the financial condition of a company at a fixed point in time. An income statement, or earnings report, shows how much money is made or lost during a given fiscal year or quarter. Financial statements are included in annual reports (sometimes abridged), S&P reports, and Value Line, among other sources. Two most common types of corporate reports are the 10-K and the Annual Report. The 10-K is the detailed report submitted to the S.E.C. and is the most exhaustive source of current corporate information. The Annual Report is the report to the shareholders and is not an official filing. This is often the glossy snapshot: mostly positive, discussing plans and company's outlook, with financial data included.
Compare Companies Using Ratios & RankingsOne of the ways to evaluate the performance of any given company is by comparing that company to other companies or its industry. To facilitate comparisons, ratios are often calculated using the numbers on financial statements. Financial ratios provide a means of standard of comparison. Many financial elements, such as inventory size, are validated by their relationship/ratio to other elements in a company's financial record, such as sales. Comparing these ratios to similar asset-sized companies or to the industry can result in a better understanding of the health of a company. Find out how a particular company ranks against its competitors, or within a geographical area.
Market ShareMarket share can be defined as the ratio of sales of a company's entire product line to the total sales of all related companies. Market share can also refer to the ratio of sales of a brand to the total sales of that product-type in a defined area (county, continent, etc.). Market share is usually presented as a percentage, although sometimes a raw number of sales or units is provided. Market Share Reporter
Stock PerformanceProvides information to investors to understand and make decisions to determine company "health." Looking at stock resources is also sometimes a good place to find ratios and other financial information for business researchers. Of course, these companies must be publicly traded. Information sources of stock performance often include commentary by analysts.
Private CompaniesResearch on private companies (particularly small private companies) can be challenging, since private companies are not required to make available the same information required of public companies. It is typically necessary to search in a number of different sources for any available information, including the company's web site and local/regional news sources.
Ward's Businss Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies Local Companies
North Carolina Business Directory
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