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Topic: Company Research

This guide provides an overview on how to do company research.

Public Company Overview

These are the best library resources for retrieving a company profile and comprehensive company information, and may include information on company description, history, executives, key financials, major products and services, top competitors, and subsidiaries.

  • Search Tip: Select Company Profiles at the top of the webpage. Then search for your company and select the MarketLine Report.
  • Search Tip: In the Company Search bar, type in your company. To find the company history, start in the Company Details tab and select the History subtab.
  • Search Tip: Under Guided Search, select Company Info. Type in your company, and make sure Company Profile is selected.

Company profile cover pageThere are many places you can find information about a company and its history. Try the following approaches:

  • Company's website
    • Websites often include an "about us" section that sometimes detail their history. Remember, the company will explain its history the way it wants to be seen.
  • Annual report
    • Public companies are required to file an annual report to the U.S. government, known as a 10-K. These reports will often include a section on the company's history. Again, remember this is a self-reported history.
  • Search for articles
    • Newspaper, trade/magazine, and scholarly articles that mention or are about specific companies might provide some historical information.

Accompanying image is from a company report in the Mergent Online database.

Be aware of the competitive environment within which your company operates and how the firm stacks up against its peers. The resources below list a company's competitors.

To research competitors, the same research tactics and resources used to look for information on your company can be applied when researching competitors.

  • Search Tip: In a company's page, the Competitors tab will generate a spreadsheet of key financials of companies within an industry.