Skip to Main Content

FIN 455: Equity Analysis & Valuation: Company Research

Professor Jenny Simmers

D&B/Hoovers Database (Company Research)

Much like First Research, Hoover's provides industry intelligence that helps to drive business growth.

 

 

Step 1: Browse or Search for a Company by Name

Step 2: Select Company
Look at the left hand navigation column. The Company Details includes links to company summary, history and details. Under "Advanced" is information about competitors, analysts reports and annual reports.Click image for larger view
 

 

EBSCO's Business Source Complete Database (Company Research)


EBSCO's Business Source Complete includes company profile MarketLine reports in addition to business-related articles from scholarly and trade publication journals.

 


Step 1: Browse or Search for a Company Profile


Click image for larger view

 

Step 2: Explore the Company MarketLine Report


Click image for larger view

Value Line Investment Survey Database (Company Research)


Value Line includes rich company data and in-depth financial analysis tools.

 

Step 1: Lookup a Company Name


Click image for larger view

 

Step 2: Explore the PDF Report (By Date)


Click image for larger view

Company Research

Questions To Ask When Researching a Company:

  • Competitive Analysis: Who are the major competitors to your company? What products and/or services are represented by your competition? What are the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) for your company and its competition? 
  • Products and Services: What products and services are a part of your company and its competition?
    **Do a Google search for the company's annual report in order to locate products and services. Example Search: [company name] annual report 2013 

S.E.C. Company Analysis...
The Securities & Exchange Commission documents can further help to develop the analysis of your company. Below is a listing of helpful S.E.C. search tools:

  • EDGAR Database (Securities and Exchange Commission): 1) Search for your company by name or ticker symbol. 2) Click the CIK number associated with your company to view a listing of company filings. 3) Review the following forms: 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K paying close attention to the Management Discussion and Analysis sections.
  • Seeking Alpha: 1) On the right side of the page in the Find Transcripts section, search for your company name. 2) Review the corporate conference call transcripts (by date) where discussions will surround financial forecasting, new products, and marketing strategies.

Public Vs. Private Company Research

Public Companies: Trade on stock exchanges and issue stocks. 
Private Companies: Do not trade on stock exchanges.

Determining Public Vs. Private Companies...

  • Look up the company in Yahoo! Finance. Look for a ticker symbol and check the News & Performance of the company you are researching.
  • Look up the company in the Forbes-Yearly Lists using the following lists: America's Largest Private Companies and America's Best Small Companies. 
  • Look up the company in the Inc. 5000 Company List. This resource provides a list of 5,000 private companies compiled by Inc. magazine (published yearly).
  • Look up the company in the Private Companies Worldwide listing by Bloomberg Businessweek. This listing is searchable by region or alphabetical by name.