Research Guides: Business: Company Research: Financials

Financials

SEC Filings & EDGAR

Companies required to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) include:

U.S. publicly traded parent companies
International companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges

SEC filings and financial statement data for public companies can be found in:

Company's Investor Relations webpages

EDGAR (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
Free SEC database that collects and displays company filings required by the SEC.

Mergent Online [Mergent] This link opens in a new window
Same EDGAR content, but in what some consider a more user freindly interface.

Common SEC Forms

10-K
Form 10-K includes almost everything about the business that a potential investor would want to know including: a corporate overview, risk factors, financial statements, accounting policies and practices, changes in management, legal proceedings, directors, executive officers, current operations, future plans, and more. Often you may find market segment or market share information, key brands, etc. The annual report often sent to shareholders often differs from the 10-K, but some companies publish the annual report and the 10-K as one document.
10-Q
Form 10-Q is an unaudited quarterly report of a company’s performance. Normally these are filed only for the first three quarters, with the 10K being the final filing of the year.
8-K
A report that provides a snapshot of special events that occur between 10-K and 10-Q filings. Normally these are filed within 4 business days of the event occurring. These can be things like the purchase or sale of a substantial asset, a change in auditors, a change in corporate leadership, bankruptcy, etc.
Proxy Statement
The SEC requires proxy statements be sent before annual shareholder meetings and are required for regular and special meetings. It is a great starting place for investors because it includes the overall health of the business, business plans, litigation risks, auditor changes, related party transactions, management employment history, compensations, and loans to senior executives. It is useful for determining any conflict of interest issues between the company and its directors, executives, and auditors.
SEC Forms
SEC forms are available on their website.

EDGAR

EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval)
Free SEC database that collects and displays company filings required by the SEC. The library's Mergent Online database displays this information in what some believe is an easier format to read and understand. Not all required filings are available from EDGAR.
How to use EDGAR
About EDGAR
Using EDGAR to Research Investments
Reading a 10-K
SEC Fast Answers

More Resources

Visit the company/corporate website.
- Look for Investor Relations, Investors, or Corporate Information (often at the bottom of the page).

Mergent Online [Mergent] This link opens in a new window
Last five years of financial statements can be found in the "Company Financials" tab. SEC filings are included for United States companies. Includes:
10-K report (U.S. domestic companies).
20-F report (foreign-owned companies with public trading in the U.S.).
Proxy statements and other SEC required filings.
PrivCo [PrivCo] This link opens in a new window
Non-peer reviewed. Full-text content. Statistical & data research.
Features large private company business and financial intelligence. Provides data on major, non-publicly traded corporations. The welcome page asks you to login, which offers a more personal experience, but you may click "direct access" to proceed without an account.

Market Valuation and Investment Data

Yahoo! Finance
Find financial news, data, commentaries, industry insights, stock quotes, press releases, and financial reports. Includes some personal finance tools. Much of the content is free, including some company profile content.
Google Finance
Find business news and financial information on public companies.

Ratios

Mergent Online [Mergent] This link opens in a new window
Ratios can be found by looking up the company and clicking on the Company financials tab.

RMA Annual Statement Studies
Updated annually with data from companies around the US. Provides financial and ratio data for over 700 different industry sectors. Each set of industry information is displayed in a uniform manner allowing comparisons between firms to be more easily made based upon sales, assets, and historical data. RMA provide nineteen financial ratios for each industry.
CFRA's Industry Surveys
Updated quarterly with an overview of 47 majors industries in the United States. Each industry analysis contains a description of important financial metrics to examine for that industry as well as an explanation of the primary factors that are recommended to be used to analyze a company in that particular industry. This is accompanied by tables showing leading players of the industry using different financial measures.
BizStats
Free Internet site that provides U.S. industry ratios.