Researching a Company

Contents

Introduction

When researching a company it is important to know whether the company is public (traded on a stock exchange), private, or a subsidiary or division of a larger company.

  • The stock of a public company is held by the general public rather than by officers or employees of the company.
  • The stock of a private company is held by the officers or employees of the company rather than the general public.
  • International companies are not subject to US rules regarding disclosure.

Directories

  • Business rankings annual. REF HG4050.B88
  • Colorado business directory. REF HF 5065.C6.C62
  • CorpTech directory of technology companies. HC110.H53 C67 REF
  • Directory of corporate affiliations. REF HG 4057.A219
  • Dun's regional business directory (Denver area). REF HG 4058.D4.D86
  • Hoover's Basic company information is free
  • Hoover's handbook of private companies. REF HG 4057.A28616
  • Hoover's masterlist of major international companies. REF HD 62.4.H66
  • Hoover's handbook of American business. REF HG 4057.A286213
  • Principal international businesses. REF HG 54 U5.P74
  • Notable corporate chronologies REF HG4009.N68
  • Standard and Poor's standard corporation descriptions: corporate records. REF HG4501.S7664
  • Thomas register of American manufacturers
  • Ward's business directory of U.S. private and public companies. REF HG 4057.A575

Public companies
  • The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires all public companies whose stock is traded on an American exchange (except foreign companies and companies with less than $10 million in assets and 500 shareholders) to file numerous reports electronically through the EDGAR database. Anyone can access and download this information for free. For filings from 1997 to current, consult EDGAR.
  • Mission Statements are sometimes found on a company's web site.
  • Web pages for public companies can be found by searching http://www.Business.com
  • It is important to balance the information that companies release about themselves with information from other sources, such as information found in articles and newspaper reports. Look for this type of information in Databases.
  • Names of competitors and company histories can be found on the Hoover's web site, and in Notable Corporate Chronologies.
  • Rankings and market share can be found in Databases, and in Business Rankings Annual.
  • Unless they are publicly-traded, Subsidiaries and Divisions of larger companies are not required to release annual reports or financial information. Sometimes information on divisions and subsidiaries can be found in the parent company's annual report or 10K; consult EDGAR. Subsidiaries and divisions may have their own web site, or may be included in the parent company website.

Private companies
  • Private companies are often difficult to research because they are not required to release any information to the public.
  • Basic information including sales estimates and number of employees can be found in
    • Directory of Corporate Affiliations
    • Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies
    • Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public Companies
  • Private companies often have web pages; find these by searching Business.com. Mission statements, which can give you an insight into the "corporate culture" may be included.
  • When researching private companies, you must rely on information gathered from the press. Look for newspaper and periodical articles about a company in Databases.
  • Forbes magazine, December issue, "500 largest Private Companies in the U.S."

International companies
  • Hoover's includes international company information
  • Kompass business search

NAICS and SIC codes
  • NAICS CODE: North American Industry Classification System
    • An industry classification system developed in cooperation with Canada and Mexico.
    • Classifies economic activities at 2-, 3-, 4- and 5- levels of detail. The US version may have a 6th digit.
    • Will help provide comparable statistics across Canada, Mexico, and the US.
    • Replaced the 1987 SIC Code Classification for the 1997 Economic Census.
    • Online: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
  • SIC CODE: Standard Industrial Classification Number
    • A system of classifying economic activities by 4-digit numbers.
    • Online: http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/sic.html
    • SIC code may be used to rank companies within their SIC number; list companies in a line of business, and provide data such as industry ratios, industry analysis, industry statistics, industry census materials, etc.
  • Industry Concordances Online: http://www.macalester.edu/research/economics/PAGE/HAVEMAN/
    Trade.Resources/TradeConcordances.html
    • Provides access to a multitude of concordances (ISIC, SITC, usSIC, cSIC, HS, NAICS and others) plus a list of acronyms and what they stand for, as well as verbal descriptions of the various classification systems.