Library Guides: MKTG 301: Principles of Marketing (Shenango): Company Information

Finding Company Information

MergentOnline (company information) This link opens in a new window
Provides company information on more than 15,000 US and more than 30,000 non-US public companies.
MergentOnline (formerly FISonline) is a subscription-based service offering information on over 15,000 U.S. public companies and 30,000 non-U.S. public companies. MergentOnline is produced by Mergent, Inc., formerly known as Moody's). Mergent/Moody's is a publisher of detailed business descriptions, corporate histories and financial statements since 1900. The database also includes the Country Report module, a module that consists of the following resources: DnB Country Risk Profile, DnB Country RiskLine Report, and Mergent Country Profile. In addition, the Investext Database is available via Mergent Online.
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Provides data on over 100 million privately held companies.
Provides data on over 100 million privately held companies.

Public and Private Companies

Public Companies

Public companies, which have shareholders and are traded on the stock exchange, are legally required to release specific financial information and other information about their business practices, making them much easier to research. You will often find much more information about public companies when conducting database research for companies.

Private Companies

Private companies are not traded publicly and therefore can keep much of the information about their financials and business practices private. Laws regarding private company disclosures vary from country to country, but private companies in the US are not required to release much information to the public. If you choose to research a private company, you may want to locate public competitors as a way of identifying information about the industry that would also apply to the private company.