YCCC: Company Research: Websites

General Company Research Web Sites

MBSTL Business - Running a Business - Finances & Accounting
As the designated research library for business, science and technology, the Librarians at Fogler Library at UMO have compiled a series of resources to support the people of Maine in those areas. We’ve carefully selected and curated these resources into a variety of subject areas. Each subject area contains links to websites and articles relevant to that field.
Annual Reports.com
Provides free web access to annual reports for many companies.
Forbes Business Lists
SEC Filings & Forms (EDGAR)
Publicly traded companies in the United States are required by law to submit information (10-K’s and 10-Q’s filed annually and quarterly respectively) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). in order to sell shares on major stock exchanges. These reports include detailed descriptive information on products, organization, distribution and risk factors ,as well as financial statements.
Google
Company websites typically have some critical information, such as the company mission & history, financial data, and list of products and services. Keep in mind that the website is a public relations tool for the company, so look elsewhere for less biased info. Look for sections like "About us" or "Investor Relations"
When "Googling" your company try adding the phrase investor news or investor relations.
Yahoo Finance
Find financial information (including annual reports) for public companies.
Reuters
Business and financial news online.
Vault.com
Find a company. Check off the appropriate boxes to limit your search.

Ticker Symbols

Ticker symbols are letters used to uniquely identify a public company and can be used to make company research more effiicient. One of the quickest way to find a ticker symbol is to use a free website like:

Ameritrade
Just type in the company name you want to look up, and select Stock from the drop down menu and click Go!
Wall St. Journal’s MarketWatch Lookup
If a company has a stock market ticker symbol, it is publicly traded and will be listed here.

Business Statistics Web Sites

Statistics can be a valuable information resource for many of your research projects. Here are some top-notch sources for business statistics:

U.S. Census Bureau: Business and Economy
Here you'll find economic statistics by geography, sector, and frequency.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Statistics of U.S. Businesses
An annual series that provides national and subnational data on the distribution of economic data by enterprise size and industry.
Fraser Economic History
A wide range of economic data including indexes, prices, employment, finance, trade, and production by sector from 1931 to 1991.

Evaluating Web Sites

Asking these questions will help you to determine whether the resources you find are credible and reliable.

Who created the page? Does the person or organization have the appropriate credentials?
Why was this site created? What is the purpose of the site? For example, is it sponsored by a company that has a financial interest in the topic?
When was the page created and/or last updated? How current is the information?
Does the author cite trustworthy sources? How does the author support their argument?

Learn more about evaluating websites or check our handy tipsheet:.Evaluating web sites