Getting Started with Company Research
Prepare for Your Search
What is the complete, official name of the company? Keep in mind that a company's common name (for example, McDonald's) may not be its official name (McDonald's Corporation). When possible, use the company's complete official name as your search term.
Is the company public or private? Publicly held companies in the United States are subject to regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and a great deal of information is available on both the open web and in subscription databases. Privately-held companies do not typically provide the same level of detail to the public and can be more challenging to research.
Is the company a subsidiary? A company is a subsidiary when it is partially or wholly owned by another company. In some cases, company information for a subsidiary will be published or indexed under its parent company, however, parent companies are not required to report on each subsidiary individually.
Company Websites
Company websites provide a range of information that can be useful in understanding their products, services, and priorities. It is important to remember that most website information is subjective and intended for marketing, however, publicly traded companies will often include annual reports and required disclosures on their investor relations webpages. A simple Google search for the company name + "investor relations" can help you locate these resources on a company website.
EXAMPLES:
Company Profiles and Financials
Company Profiles are sources of comprehensive information about a company's overall operations. These resources will often provide details about a company's executive leadership, board, investors, supply chain, financials, and more.
Company Financials are easily located in official documents from the Securities Exchange Commission for U.S. publicly-traded companies. There is generally much more information available about publicly traded companies than those which are privately held.
- NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive source of public company information. Search by company name or ticker symbol. Includes stock, bond, mutual fund, earnings, and dividends reports. - Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Provides profiles for public and private companies. Search by ticker symbol or company name. - Mergent Market Atlas This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive profiles for publicly traded companies including financial data, sustainability and ESG information, SEC and annual filings, and analyst reports.
Using SEC Filings in Company Research
Public companies in the US are required to file annual, quarterly, and current reports based on SEC regulations. Annual and quarterly reports include financial information for the period covered by the report. Item 1 of annual reports includes risk factors that inform overall macroenvironment analyses.
| Form Type | Description |
| 10-K | This is a company's annual report. It provides audited annual financial statements, a discussion of material risk factors for the company and its business, and a management’s discussion and analysis of the company’s results of operations for the prior fiscal year. |
| 10-Q | These are quarterly reports. A 10-Q includes unaudited quarterly financial statements, updates regarding material risks that the company faces, and management’s discussion and analysis of the company’s results of operations for the prior fiscal quarter. |
| 8-K | Current reports which disclose material events or information that the company chooses or is required to make public prior to its next scheduled quarterly or annual report. |
- EDGAR This link opens in a new window
EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) provides automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- How to Read a 10-KA guide to understanding the kinds of information available in companies' 10-K reports
