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Company Research Guide

This guide was designed to help you locate various types of information about a company. This page will show which databases will allow you to retrieve information for a public or private company. Don't forget to check a company's website for additional information.

International Directory of Company Histories

International Directory of Company Histories

The International Directory of Company Histories provides detailed entries that contain information about a company's background, organization and key personnel, business strategies, labor and management actions, and stock information.

Proquest Historical Annual Reports

ProQuest Historical Annual Reports
ProQuest Historical Annual Reports™ offer invaluable information on companies, including financial performance, key officers, competitors, and market trends.

How to video tutorials ...

Business Source Complete Video - Locate a company's SWOT analysis and articles about the firm in academic journals, trade publications and industry profiles.

Hoover's Full Company Report Video - How to download a full company report from Hoover's

SEC Filings

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Free federal government resource,

archives fillings from 1994 to the present.

Researching Public Companies Through EDGAR: A Guide for Investors

Private & Public Company Databases

Most of databases listed below provide information for both public and private companies. A CougarNet Login is required to access remotely or via the UH wireless network.

ABI/INFORM Global

CougarNet Login Required
Includes the Wall Street Journal and access to information on 60,000 + companies with business and executive profiles.
BoardEx

Use to research an individual's or an organization's corporate board connections.Includes information about an individual's compensation and accumulated wealth. Private company organizational structure, public company financials only.
Business Source Complete

The world's definitive scholarly business database. Contains
information about companies in scholarly and trade publications. Company SWOT analyses are available.
Hoover's

Retrieve comprehensive company information: History, Industry Information, Competitors, Financial Summary & Competitive Landscape.
LexisNexis Academic

To access "Company Dossier" input company name in the box titled "Get Company Info". With this resource you will be able to retrieve a company's intellectual property information, which may include patents, trademarks and copyrights. The "legal information"section will outline a company's current litigation issues and more.
Mergent Horizon

NOTE: Public Company Information Only.
Contains up-to-date company description, stock price performance, and financial data. This tool allows users to perform industry comparisons and peer-group analyses, evaluate a company's business based on its products and services, and identify its competitors, major customers, suppliers and partners. Mergent Horizon covers all companies actively traded on the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ exchanges.
Mergent Online

The Dun & Bradstreet Private Company Information module has been added to this resource. The database also includes company information, SEC filings, and annual reports for over 10,000 U.S. companies as well as international company data, annual reports, and global equity pricing.
NetAdvantage

NOTE: Public Company Information Only.
A comprehensive source of business and investment information, including access to a variety of Standard & Poor's research products such as Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, The Outlook, Mutual Fund Reports among others.
Plunkett Research Online

Includes business descriptions, financials, growth plans and executive contact information.
ReferenceUSA

Search by company name, geographic area, business type, SIC code, yellow page listing, revenue, location, number of employees or any combination of the above. In addition to address and phone number, each entry includes officer names and titles, corporate affiliation, business type and size of yellow page advertising.