Library databases are helpful for locating a company's financial information, such as its balance sheets, cash flow, and ratios. (For instructions on finding financial ratios, see: Finding Financial Ratios for Companies.)
From the top navigation select Companies.
Look for Find a Company (under Dossier on the right side of the page).
Enter a company's name in the search box (tip use quotation marks around a company name consisting of two or more words: "Home Depot").
After clicking on the company's name on the search results page, click on the desired link (Financial Overview or SEC Filings; note that SEC Filings contains a sub-menu of options, including Recent SEC Filings, Latest 10-K Filings, Latest 8-K Filings, etc.) from the menu on the left-hand side of the company's information page.
View of search results for Home Depot showing right side navigation
There are numerous e-books in the Library's e-book databases (change the Material Type to Books) that can help you interpret company financial data. Below are search examples and when prompted, use your student credentials to sign in:
"business ratio*" OR "financial ratio*"
"corporate finance"
"financial statement*"
Unlike private companies, public companies are required to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Financial statements and other company information is available for public view. Note that company and corporate websites include a wealth of information including press releases, office/retail locations, company histories, key executives and more.
In the US, a public company: (a) offers stock for sale publicly on a stock exchange, and (b) makes public certain business/financial information as dictated by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).
Finding transcripts from corporate earnings calls can sometimes be a challenge. Here are a number of ways to successfully locate them:
There are several free websites that can be used to find a company's financial information. Below is a listing of some of these sites.
Depending on what type of financial information you're looking for, you may be able to find it on a company's own site. Look for the area of the company's site that contains information for investors.
You may also find financial information by searching EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Search EDGAR (See search tips.)