Researching Company Info

Remember! The amount and quality of information you can find depends on whether a company is public or private. Privately owned companies may have less info available than publicly traded companies

Company Profiles

Use the libraries' databases to find company profiles put together by 3rd party market research groups.

Company Websites

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:

Google search for best buy investor relations

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:

Annual Report or Form 10-K

 A document that public corporations must provide annually to shareholders that describes their operations and financial conditions.  

Quarterly Earnings Call

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.

News or Press Releases

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:

Best Buy investor relations page

Company News

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.