Business & Accounting Libraries
This guide is part of a series that aims to provide resources for business-related topics and courses at Marshall and USC.
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SEC Filings
It is easier to find information about public companies (those that sell stock to shareholders) than about private companies (those that are privately owned by an individual or a group).
Public companies in the United States are required by law to file documents with the Securities and Exchange commission (SEC) and therefore disclose significant information about their finances and operations in the form of SEC filings.
The 10-K/Q have the most detail about a company's finances.
- 10-K: The annual report submitted to the SEC for a U.S. publicly traded company. Here's how you read it.
- 10-Q: The quarterly report submitted to the SEC for a U.S. publicly traded company.
- 20-F: The equivalent of a 10-K for a foreign company trading on a US exchange.
- 8-K: A form submitted when a materially important event happens at a company, so shareholders know about it.
For tax exempt organizations (Nonprofits), see Nonprofit Explorer and Cause IQ
Best Bets for Information about Public Companies
The following USC databases can be used to find a company's financial information, such as balance sheets, cash flow statements, and financial ratios. For more, explore the Finance & Investment Research guide.
Note that a company's website and their annual report (10K) should be your first stop for company information. Company websites often provide important company news, investor information (Search company website for "Investor Relations"), and even industry reports. Particularly important for company research is identifying the company's brands and subsidiaries.
- Capital IQ This link opens in a new windowUsed for analysis of public companies, investable industries, and financial markets. Contains financial news, market insights, company performance and industry data. Use the screener to search its large database for companies, equities, business developments, people, and other criteria. Instructions: If you are accessing remotely, you must download and use the VPN. If you are on campus, you must use Secure Wireless, not Guest. Once on the main page, register with your USC email under 'New User' at upper right.
To download the Excel plug-in, go to My Capital IQ/Downloads. This allows you to build and manipulate financial models and spreadsheets by accessing company financials, estimates, market data, transactions, ownership, and fixed income data, directly within Excel.
- Business Insights Global This link opens in a new windowSource for international business intelligence offering the most comprehensive and convenient way to find case studies, in-depth statistical data coupled with deep research, and the ability to compare global economies, countries and industries.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowDetailed financial information on US and international PUBLIC, but not private, companies. Includes data on Inactive companies (bankrupt, out of business). Includes balance sheet, income and cash flow statements, and retained earnings for 15+ years.
- Orbis This link opens in a new windowKey company information on international and US public and private companies such as profile, financials, competitors, ratings, earnings estimates, debt, corporate ownership, and news. Includes 10 years of historical financial information per company.
- OSIRIS This link opens in a new windowKey company information on international and US public companies only - listed, unlisted and delisted. Included are company financials, ratings, SEC filings, corporate actions, earnings estimates, investor reports, EIU country profiles and outlooks, directors, annual reports, stock data and corporate structures, market research, M&A deals, and news. Includes 20 years of historical financial information per company.
- Nexis Uni (formerly LEXIS/NEXIS Academic) This link opens in a new windowDatabase of full text online news, legal cases, and company information from 1980 to present. Includes Nexis Dossier and Total Patent One.
- Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) This link opens in a new windowProvides in-depth information on public and private US businesses. Especially useful for finding lists of smaller or regional companies and subsidiaries.
- SEC EDGARSearch EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system) by company name, ticker symbol, or CIK to find company SEC filings. Also offers full-text searching of filings from 2000 to present.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista is one of the first statistic portals in the world to integrate data on over 80,000 topics from over 18,000 sources onto a single professional platform.
- Yahoo FinanceOffers a useful screener, company profiles including key executives (pay and age), Sustainalytics ESG ratings for select companies, and some company news.
Best Bets for Information about Private Companies
When looking for information about a company, consider both information from the company itself (Annual Report) as well as information about the company written by others (Explore the Articles and News tab). For private companies, literature searches, company blogs, and interviews may be some of the best and only resources for locating information.
- PrivCo This link opens in a new windowPrivCo is the premiere source for business and financial research on non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed and international unlisted companies. You must create an account (USC e-mail address) to login.
- Mergent IntellectDetailed information on over 280 million public and private companies, including subsidiaries, executives, and corporate family tree; and consumer data for more than 98% of US households - contacts, demographics and census data. Also access First Research reports and key business ratios.
Information on private companies can be sparse. Private companies are not required to file any financial data in the U.S., with the exception of registration data filed with the Secretary of State, in the state where they are registered. Databases like Mergent Intellect, Data Axle, Orbis and PrivCo have some basic data on U.S. private companies. Often 'local press' have more stories on locally based companies than national newspapers.
- Secretaries of State LinksLists and links for Secretaries of State and business look-up links.