Business Research Guide

Contains financial information, news about the company, capital stock including a history of dividends and stock splits and SEC filings. Click on the link above for access.

Find 5 years of financial information

1. Enter company name or ticker symbol and choose correct company from drop down
2. Click Company Financials
3. Select As Reported
4. Change Balance Sheet to All Sections (#1)
5. Make sure As Report Scale is set to Thousands. Click Refresh (#2 on graphic)
6. Download or Print
7. For Ratios, then click Ratios (#3 on graphic)
8. Download or Print

Selected Industry Averages & Ratios

(For a quick report, see the Competitors tab. Or try this for more options and details.)

1. Enter the company name or ticker symbol and click on search.
2. Select your company
3. Click on Report Builder
4. Click on Comparison Reports
5. Under Peer Group Selection: Select, NAICS and target groups, USA
6. Under Select Comparison Report type: Select the companies you want to compare (Suggestion: if looking for an overall industry average, you may want to select 'All companies')
7. Under Report Type,check Active companies only
8. Under Report Item Selection: select the categories needed (Click on the plus sign [+] to see what's avaialble and click on the > button) 
9. The selected items should appear in the Report Items (Note: you can only select 30 items at a time)
10. Check include average and select the date range. (Note: you must check include average to see industry averages)
11. Select your desired format and click on Create Report.

 To Locate an industry profile

1. Click on Report Search (2nd to last tab along the top of the screen)
2. Place a check mark beside your industry
3. Under Search by Region, select North America
4. Click on Search.

SEC filings are also available in Mergent and many other databases.

Industry reports and surveys provide an overview of the industry. They might include forces impacting the industry, major players, current trends and information on how to analyze the industry. Below are some recommended sources.

NAICS is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

To learn more about a specific market, see if you can locate a trade associations. Associations often provide information on industry trends, consumer buying habits within that industry, and help with networking. Some information is freely availalbe and other information may be restriced to members only.