Find Company Info
One of the most important elements in business, finance, and economics is company information. Company information might include stocks, company news, industry trends, yearly reports, and projected sales. You can find information for some companies via a Google search, but the library has databases that provide more specific and in-depth information about companies and industries. These library resources can make your search easier, and I can show you how to use them!
Company Databases
- Value Line Investment Survey This link opens in a new windowThe Value Line Investment Survey is one of the most widely used independent investment information services in the world. The Value Line Investment Survey's main section, "Ratings & Reports," presents full-page, individual stock reports and industry reviews. The "Summary & Index" provides a key to locating the latest quarterly and supplementary reports and cites the most recent data on each of the stocks followed. Finally, "Selection & Opinion," a feature section, gives Value Line's views on the economy and the stock market and on stocks of special interest.
- Morningstar This link opens in a new windowUse this database to find stocks, funds, ETFs, and market research. Morningstar's data reports cover more than 20,000 securities.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista.com provides quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and a wide variety of other areas. Data is presented in charts and graphs and compiled into reports. Try simple search terms related to your company and industry, such as "restaurant", "pharmaceutical", or "games".
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowUse this database to find industry Barnes Reports. Barnes Reports provides cost-effective and timely studies on the largest manufacturing, retail, wholesale and services industries in the United States and the World. Barnes Reports annually publishes hundreds of studies with the most current and accurate information on the largest U.S. and World industries and product lines.
Try searching "barnes report" + your industry.
NAICS Codes
The US Federal Government creates a code for each industry to help with statistical analysis and company comparison. This code is called a NAICS code. Sometimes the codes use odd descriptors (government, what can you say!). Try a few simple synonyms as search terms to locate your industry.
For example, the NAICS code for "chicken production (except egg laying)" is 112320.
