Corporate Information

Introduction

This guide to locating corporate information covers various aspects of company research issues,including finding basic company information (name, address, telephone number, size of corporate staff, sales, products, services), and the rank and standing of a company within an industry group (assets, net income, sales, number of employees). Corporate plans for new products,facilities, services, methods, mergers, acquisitions, etc., and background information on companies and their officers are also included. The best methods for finding a company home page on the WWW are also covered.

Determine the Corporate Status

Is the company a public or a private corporation?
Note: Companies can be:

A proprietorship (owned by one person)
A partnership (owned jointly by two or more people)
A privately held corporation (company as a legal being but whose shares are not publicly available) or
A publicly held corporation (company as a legal being whose shares are publicly traded)

Only publicly held corporations are required by law to disclose detailed company information. Therefore, researching large public corporations is much easier than researching any other form of company. Whether the company in question is public or private will determine the path to finding company information.

Some Major Internet Sites

Business.com Location: Internet (http://www.business.com/): A comprehensive resources for business information including company specific data and industries and general business information.

WeB Investor's Dictionary Home page Location: Internet (http://www.webinvestors.com): This site is the fastest, easiest way to learn investment concepts on the Web. Defines investments terms and concepts in simple, understandable English.

The BIZWEB: Business Guide To the Web Location: Internet (http://www.bizweb.com/)

BRINT's Business Researcher's Interests Location: Internet (http://www.brint.com/)

Hoover's Online Location: Internet (http://www.hoovers.com/free/)

Basic Company Information

Name, address, telephone number, etc.

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers Location: Internet (hhttp://www.thomasnet.com/) Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref T12 .T612): There is a free Thomas Register of American Manufacturers on the Internet. The system allows you to search companies by product and company name. The online and CD-ROM Thomas Register counterparts are much more time-effective for a tailored list, but you could use the WWW version to do your preliminary searching or job estimation.

D & B Small Business Solutions Location: Internet (http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/)

Reuters - Company Information Location: Internet ( http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockEntry.aspx?target=/stocks)

CorpTech Company Report Location: Internet (http://www.corptech.com/)

Yahoo Company Profile Location: Internet ( http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/)

The Rank and Standing of a Company within an Industry Group and Standing within an Industry and Industry Profile

Assets, sales, number of employees, net income; sales, products, services, size of corporate staff

Forbes Magazine's Report On American Industry Location: Internet (http://www.forbes.com/companies): Published annually around January, the Forbes Annual Report on American Industry is a rich source benchmark studies for companies and industries in the United States.

The Forbes 500 Company Index Location: Internet (http://www.forbes.com/companies)

The Fortune 500 Resources from Lead411 Location: Internet (http://www.lead411.com/fortune500a.taf )

The Fortune 500 Location: Internet (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/index.html)

Company Earnings & Estimates

Zacks Earnings Location: Internet (http://www.zacks.com/markets/index.php )

MSN Company Earnings Estimates Location: Internet (http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/analyst/earnest.asp)

Earnings Whispers.Com Location: Internet (http://www.earningswhisper.com/)

Company Financial and Corporate Documents

Securities and Exchange Commission Location: Internet (http://www.sec.gov/index.htm)

EDGAR Database of Corporate Information Location: Internet (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml/)

PRARS Annual Report Services Location: Internet (http://www.prars.com): A free source for annual reports.

Library Databases Location: (http://www.lib.udel.edu/db/): The Library maintains a huge collection of resources for research in all aspects of business in both print and electronic format. Electronic access to most of these resources are provided via the Library Databases page from the Library's home page. Select "Business and Economics" to access the whole range of business products including the following:

Company News

Yahoo: US Market News Location: Internet (http://finance.yahoo.com/): Provides useful financial news, questions and comments and some FAQs in finance and investments.

CBS Market Watch Location: Internet ( http://www.marketwatch.com/)

MSN Money Central Location: Internet (http://moneycentral.msn.com/home.asp)

Reuters Company News Location: Internet (http://www.investor.reuters.com/StockEntry.aspx?target=/stocks)

Library Databases Location: (http://www.lib.udel.edu/db/)

IPO Information

IPOMaven page Location: Internet (http://www.ipomaven.com/)

Yahoo IPO News Location: Internet (http://biz.yahoo.com/reports/ipo.html)

IPO Home by Renaissance Capital Location: Internet (http://www.ipohome.com/marketwatch/iponews2.asp?article=5015)

Industry Information

Industrial Quick Search Location: Internet (http://www.industrialquicksearch.com/)

Chemical Industry.com Location: Internet (http://www.neis.com/)

National Restaurant Association Location: Internet (http://www.restaurant.org/)

Grocery Manufacturers Association of America Location: Internet (http://www.gmabrands.com)

Yahoo! Industry Information Location: Internet (http://dir.yahoo.com/News_and_Media/Industry_Information/)

Corporate Information Site (Free Registration) Location: Internet (http://www.corporateinformation.com/): The Corporate Information site provides industry sector information covering almost all the industry groupings.

Valuation Resources Industry Reports Location: Internet (http://www.valuationresources.com/industryReport.htm): Provides Industry information on over 250 industries.

VentureLine Location: Internet (http://www.ventureline.com/): VentureLine provides links to many industry related sites and information. Registration and fees required for some resources

Library Databases Location: (http://www.lib.udel.edu/db/)

General BusinessFile ASAP
SIC Descriptions (While in General BusinessFile ASAP, select advanced search and then select SIC file)
Investext Plus

This page is maintained by Pauly Iheanacho, Reference Department.

Version: 11/07
Last modified: 08/19/09