Public companies in the United States are generally easier to research because they are required to file information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). They will be listed on the stock exchanges and have a ticker symbol that often can be used to find information.
One of the easiest ways to determine if a U.S. company is public is to do a web search and see if it has stock information or a ticker symbol. Another good option is to search for it in the SEC’s EDGAR database.
Search for the company website. Look for press releases, investor information, financials, presentations, events, SEC filings, annual reports, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. When using information created by the company, look for biases or overly optimistic interpretations of factual data.
The Annual Report to Shareholders is used by public companies to share corporate information with their shareholders, including a message from the CEO, industry trends, news, sales and marketing, hard to find financial facts, legal cases, culture, leadership, future plans, and more. Annual reports can usually be found in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website. Annual reports may also be found in:
Private companies are not required to disclose much information, which can make private company research very difficult if not impossible. They are often owned by the founder, employees, or venture capitalists and are not required to disclose information. Below are some research strategies.
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.
Partially peer reviewed. Full-text content.
Covers economics, business, accounting, management, and related subjects. Includes academic journals, trade publications, company annual reports, dissertations, and working papers, plus country profiles and economic forecasts.
