Company Research: Best Bets
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Provides company data for public and private companies, both US and international. Excellent source for company profiles and financial information.
- NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window Robust resource for public company profiles, market, and financial information and analysis and private company directory data.
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 a subsidiary? A company is a subsidiary when it is partially or wholly owned by another company. A common example is Google and YouTube, which are subsidiaries of Alphabet, Inc. In some cases, company information for a subsidiary will be published or indexed under its parent company.
Find ticker symbols. Ticker symbols are letter codes that stand for specific publicly traded companies on stock exchanges and indices. You can often use a company's ticker symbol to search databases. Find ticker symbols:
- Online with Symbol Lookup on Yahoo Finance
- On stock exchange & index websites
- On company profiles in the Mergent Online database
Company Profiles & Financial Information
Company profiles provide overviews about a company and their financials. Information in a profile may prompt you to search for more details in news articles, annual reports, SEC filings, or other shareholder information.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Search by company name and select Company Report in the Document Type field to find Company Profiles, or SWOT Analysis in the Publication Type field to find all available SWOT analyses for a company. - Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowMergent Online provides company data for U.S. and international public and private companies. Find a Company Profile by entering the company name or ticker symbol in the basic search field and use the Company Analytics tab to locate specific financial information.
- EDGAR This link opens in a new window
EDGAR provides free public access to corporate information, allowing you to research a public company’s financial information and operations by reviewing the filings the company makes with the SEC. Search for a company by name or ticker symbol to locate its SEC filings. - NetAdvantage This link opens in a new windowThis is a comprehensive, professional source of investment information and analysis on industries and companies. Search by company name or ticker symbol to locate comprehensive company profiles, which include earnings and financial reports.
- Statista This link opens in a new window
Providing statistical data for over 170 industries in 50 countries.
Company News & Journal Articles
News and scholarly articles can provide additional details on business activities or financial situations that you discover elsewhere. Set up news alerts for the company you are researching to stay aware of new developments that might impact your research.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowSearch a company's name or ticker symbol, then limit the Source Types to Academic Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, and/or Trade Publications.
- Business Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Covers business magazines, scholarly journals, and corporate information. Search a company's name or ticker symbol, then limit the Source Types to Magazines and/or Trade Publications.
- News Reading and WritingSee this guide for additional news sources to which we have campus subscriptions.
- Wall Street Journal Online This link opens in a new window
Business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City. UD students and faculty have access to free subscriptions.
