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Ask yourself: Public or private?
The availability of information often depends on a company's ownership -- whether a company is publicly traded, privately held, or a subsidiary of another firm. This video explains the difference:
How to research a public company
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
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Content type(s): U.S. and international publicly-held company data and analyst reports.
Dates covered: 1993 to present
- EDGAR: Company search (FREE)EDGAR is the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval system. Use it to find financial documents like the 10-K (annual report) or 8-K (current report) that are filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission. How to use EDGAR tutorial
Content type(s): Company filings
Dates covered: 1994-present - Yahoo Finance (FREE)Content type(s): stock quotes, earnings estimates, financials, news, etc.
Dates covered: Varies
- Morningstar Investment Research Center This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Financial information on mutual funds, ETFs, and the leading U.S. stock exchanges
Dates covered: Current - Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
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Content types: Peer-reviewed journals, industry reports, magazines, news sources, SWOTS. Tutorial: How to search Business Source for your company.
Dates covered: 1922-present
International Directory of Company HistoriesProvides histories of companies that are a leading influence in a particular industry or geographic location.
How to research private companies
- Factiva This link opens in a new window
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Content type(s): Business news sources, company press releases and reports
Dates covered: Current - Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
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Content types: Peer-reviewed journals, industry reports, magazines, news sources, SWOTS. Tutorial: How to search Business Source for your company.
Dates covered: 1922-present - PrivCo This link opens in a new windowSource for business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed, and international unlisted companies.
Note: Users will need to register for an academic account using their JMU email address
- International Directory of Company HistoriesProvides histories of companies that are a leading influence in a particular industry or geographic location.
- Owler (FREE with account signup)Content types: Provides news alerts, company profiles, and polls on companies. Good for private companies and startups.
Dates covered: Varies
