HINTS
1. Company financial research is easiest when the company meets all of the following criteria:
a. Publicly-Traded (as opposed to private)
b. A Parent Company (as opposed to subsidiary)
c. A Large Company (>$10 million total assets, >500 shareholders)
d. It's an actual Corporate Entity (ie. brand names are sometimes confused with company names eg. Aquafina is a brand, Pepsico is the company that produces it)
Use Hoover's Online to verify criteria a, b, c and d.
2. Occasionally, a company data item may not be readily available in a financial statement or a library source. An eg. might be the debt ratio. This data item can be calculated using Investopedia or Business Ratios and Formulas: A Comprehensive Guide.
3. To find sales data on private companies (as well as information on subsidiary companies and brand names), go to Company FAQs.
Citing Your Sources
Aside from citing articles and books, have you ever wondered how to cite a company annual report or an industry report? The reality is, there is no "official" style for citing business sources. However, it is common practice to use adaptations of one of the following citation styles: the American Psychological Association (APA) Style or the Chicago Style. Whichever style you choose, use it consistently for the entire project/paper.
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APA StyleThis customized APA citation guide for Wright State business students is loosely based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). The manual is available at the Information Desk on the 2nd floor of the Dunbar Library. See Chapter 10 for more examples.
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Chicago StyleThe Harvard Business School (HBS) Citation Guide uses an adaptation of The Chicago Manual of Style.
Market Capitalization/Value
Earnings
Value Line Investment Survey Dunbar 2hr Reserve, HG4501 .V26
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InvestorEdgeIE provides company equity reports for investment research.
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Mergent OnlineGet business and financial information on over 10,000 domestic and foreign public companies. Profiles for each company include business descriptions, EDGAR documents, fundamental data, key financial ratios, earnings estimates, stock information and current headline news. Create custom reports for a company, as well as comparison reports of multiple companies.
Balance Sheet
assets, liabilities, owners equity, retained earnings, stockholders equity...
Income Statement
revenue, expense, earnings per share (eps), dividends per share, earnings before interest and taxes (ebit)
Ratios
Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys Dunbar Ref Bookcase 3, HC106.6 .S74
Stocks
common, preferred, price, quotes, dividends
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Yahoo Financereal time/historical prices
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Mergent WebReportsSearch a collection of corporate and industry reports gathered from web-based resources. The archive includes more than 180,000 documents. For easiest use click search in the right margin and type a company name.
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Mergent ArchivesSearch a vast archive of historical corporate documents and reports. The collection includes reports on corporations, countries, and industries.
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Mergent's Dividend Achievershistorical info
Bonds
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Mergent Onlinehistorical info
long-term debt
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InvestorEdgeIE provides company equity reports for investment research.
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Mergent WebReportsSearch a collection of corporate and industry reports gathered from web-based resources. The archive includes more than 180,000 documents. For easiest use click search in the right margin and type a company name.
Questions? Ask your librarian!
