Musselman Library Research Guides - Company Information Topic Guide

Company Information Resource

Online Resources from Databases & Subject Guides on the Library website:

Background Information

It is easier to find information about public companies (those that sell stock to shareholders) than about private companies (those that are privately owned by an individual or group). Public companies in the United States are required to file documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These include the 10K (annual) and 10Q (quarterly) reports. In addition, public companies issue an annual report to shareholders.

When looking for information about a company, consider both for information from the company about itself (e.g., the company Web page, SEC filings, press releases, etc.) as well as information about the company written by others (e.g.., newspaper articles, analyst reports, articles by business school professors, etc.)

Finding information about a company includes the following steps:

Get an overview of the company; find out if it is public or private.

Find the company web page.

If the company is public, find relevant 10K and 10Q reports and annual reports to shareholders.

Look for news and periodical articles to give you additional information. (This may be one of the only ways to find information on a private company.)

For public companies, also look at analyst reports.

Find competitors.

Many of the business information resources will give you all of these types of information. The New York Public Library provides a tutorial about how to research companies.

*Print Resources in the Reference Collection:***

International Directory of Company Histories -- REF HD 2721 .I63
Use the index in the latest volume to find company profiles and histories.

Moody's Industrial Manual -- REF HG 4961.M67
Some call this the best source with which to begin because of its detailed profiles for U.S. companies that trade stock on various exchanges. It gives for each company: history, capital structure, business segments, property, joint ventures, subsidiaries, executives, balance sheets, long term debt, and capital stock. Other Moody's Manuals the Library has are:
Bank & Finance
International
OTC Industrial
Public Utilities
Transportation

Million Dollar Directory-- REF HC 102 .D8
Information included: address, phone number, key personnel, sales volume, number of employees, designation of publicly held companies, and the parent company.
America's Corporate Families: The Billion Dollar Directory-- REF HG 4057 .A164
This source covers more parent companies than the Million Dollar Directory, and includes more affiliate listings. Relationships between affiliates and parent companies are shown in hierarchical order, indicating how companies report to their parents.

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