Management
Library Research Guide
Company Facts and Statistics
- StatistaSearch Statista for quick company insights and facts. For more detailed information, refer to company reports.
Company Reports
Company profiles or reports provide an overview of a company and its activities. This makes them an excellent source for beginning research on a company. Content varies by publisher, but reports may include:
- an overview of company activities
- a competitive analysis of company
- financial data (for public companies), and
- major competitors.
Not all publishers will cover all companies. It will be harder to find reports on private companies than on publicly traded firms.
- Hoover's Company RecordsHoover's provides an overview of a company, including financial data. Limited information is available for some private companies.
- Plunkett Corporate Benchmarking ReportsPlunkett company reports provide financial data, benchmarking, and financial analysis. Reports compare company’s financial averages to its industry and select competitors.
- Business Source PremierFind MarketLine Company Profiles in Business Source Premier by searching for the company name and the phrase "MarketLine." Profiles for publicly traded companies include a SWOT analysis.
Two Ways to Find MarketLine Company Profiles in Business Source Premier.
- Use the Company Profiles link or
- Search for the name of the company and "MarketLine."
Public Company Financial Information
- EDGAR - SEC.govUse the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR system to locate public company filings such as 10-K reports. International companies may file reports with the SEC. The 10-K equivalent for international company is the 20-F.
- Mergent OnlineSimultaneous users: 50 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Information found in this database includes financial statements and company histories covering approximately 20,000 U.S. and foreign public companies.
Private Company Financial Information
The library has access to several databases with information on private companies. Two, Mergent Online and ReferenceUSA, provide limited financial information for private companies. In most cases, private companies are not required to disclose financial information, so this financial information is self-reported or estimated.
- Mergent OnlineSimultaneous users: 50 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Information found in this database includes financial statements and company histories covering approximately 20,000 U.S. and foreign public companies. - Data Axle Reference Solutions
Paid for by K-State Libraries
The Reference Solutions U.S. Businesses database includes more than 60 million businesses (public and private) in the United States. Use the database to identify customers or competitors by industry classification of geographic location.
Conference Call Transcripts
- ABI/INFORM CollectionPublication Dates Covered: 1971 - present; for Dateline 1985 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
Covers thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as The Economist and Sloan Management Review, country-and industry-focused reports, and major news sources like the Wall Street Journal. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.
Find Conference Call Transcripts for a Company in ABI/INFORM
Publicly traded companies hold conference calls to inform investors about earnings and factors that may affect the company's performance. Fair Disclosure Wire publishes transcripts of conference calls, which are available in the ABI/INFORM database.
- Enter Fair Disclosure Wire in the Publication title – PUB field
- Enter company name in the Company/organization – ORG field
Company Lists: Data Axle (formerly Reference USA)
- Data Axle Reference Solutions
Paid for by K-State Libraries
The Reference Solutions U.S. Businesses database includes more than 60 million businesses (public and private) in the United States. Use the database to identify customers or competitors by industry classification of geographic location.
Use ReferenceUSA to generate a list of companies.
To start select the U.S. Businesses Database and choose the Advanced Search.
Select options on the Advanced Search screen.
1. Under Record Type, check the Include Unverified Businesses box. (Recommended because it expands search results.)
2. Choose Keywords/SIC/NAICS under Business Type to search for specific types of companies.
3. Choose Geography to limit to companies in a specific geographic area.
4. Choose Update Count to see number of results, or View Results to see the company list.
