Guide for MBA Leadership Immersion: Company
Company Profiles
Recommended
-
Business Insights: GlobalProvides company and industry profiles, including SWOT reports, market share reports, investment reports, articles, financials, and case studies.
-
Mergent OnlineProvides detailed information on US and international public companies.
-
Business Source PremierProvides full text and citations to articles in various business publications; also includes company profiles, industry profiles, and country information.
Others
-
Investext (via Mergent Online)Provides reports written by analysts at investment banks, brokerage houses, and consulting firms. Reports cover financials and analysis on companies and select industries.
-
StatistaProvides statistics from over 18,000 free and proprietary sources on a wide range of topics such as business, media, and demographics.
-
Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA)Provides profiles of U.S. companies, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.
Annual Report & 10-K
While the term "annual report" is often used to describe either a Form 10-K or an Annual Report to Shareholders (or ARS), there is a difference.
A public company's 10-K (or 20-F for certain foreign companies) is an excellent source of information on its business, strategies, risks, financials, and more. It presents the company's point of view on its current condition and future direction. Other SEC filings reveal important information as well. ** Private companies or subsidiaries are not required to release detailed financials, and therefore don't need to file 10-K (annual report), 10-Q (quarterly report), etc.
-
How to read a 10-KSections of the 10-K, differences between 10-K and Annual Report to Shareholders.
-
Company WebsitesRecent and some historical annual reports are usually available on a company's website, usually in a section called Investors or Investor Relations. Or, google company name investor (e.g., Best Buy investor) to get to the Investor section.
-
SEC EDGAR: company filingsCompany filings (including 10-Ks) from 1994 to present. ** Useful guide on researching public companies through EDGAR
Earnings Conference Calls - Transcripts
Earnings Conference Calls provide insights on a public company's strategies, responses to issues, as well as industry environment and competition. Transcripts may be freely available on company website along with audio and presentations, or through a Google search. Main sources for transcripts:
-
FD (Fair Disclosure) Wire (via Nexis Uni)Use the following search terms: [company name] [quarter number] [year] call. For example: Starbucks Q3 2017 call.
-
SeekingAlpha.comFree registration to read full transcripts.