Remember! The amount and quality of information you can find depends on whether a company is public or private. A company is public if they sell shares of stock on the stock market. Privately owned companies will likely have less info available than publicly traded companies, because they are not legally required to report their financial status.
Where to look for publicly traded companies:
SEARCH TIP: If you are researching a private company, and aren't having any luck, try researching one of its publicly traded competitors for an industry analysis.
Data and analysis on international and domestic stocks, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds.
The annual reports and financial data found here are valuable for getting an in-depth understanding of a company's performance, operations, and strategic directions.
News coverage of companies is a great way to learn about their activities and operations, controversies (such as lawsuits or labor issues) and social responsibility initiatives, and give outsider perspectives on the organization's products or services. Newspapers and magazines may also have insightful interviews with company executives.
SEARCH TIP:
Where is your company's headquarters located? Find news sources local to that area for more frequent and in-depth coverage of the company's activities. For example, if researching Target Corporation (headquartered in Minneapolis, MN) look for news coverage from local sources such as the StarTribune newspaper and Minnesota Public Radio.
Looking to investigate a competitor, including their history, strengths, weaknesses, or other? Or, conducting a research project on a small business or entrepreneur? The resources and tips listed below will be helpful.
Provides full text for business publications, including peer-reviewed journals.
See also the Business Searching Interface
Private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, and industry data.
Data and analysis on international and domestic stocks, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds.
Search to find manufacturers, distributors, and service providers.
Visiting a company website is a great way to learn more about the company's mission and values, products and services, and their activities. Public companies will have information like quarterly and annual reports and earnings call presentations available on their websites, usually on a page called Investor Relations.
Example:
The layout and organization of a company's Investor website will each be different. But all with have useful content to use in your research. Three things to start with:
A document that public corporations must provide annually to shareholders that describes their operations and financial conditions.
The earnings conference call is a way for companies to relay information to all interested parties, including institutional and individual investors, as well as buy- and sell-side analysts.
A press release is a piece of news or information that companies send out to inform the public about something noteworthy or of material significance. Press releases are often handled by a company's public relations (PR) department.
Example: