Research Guides (LibGuides): Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Company Research

Databases for Company Research

The information you will find on a company depends upon several factors. Before you begin your research, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are there variations of the company name?
Different research resources may use alternative spellings or abbreviations of a company name. Some databases require a ticker symbol to find company information.

2. Is the company public or private?
It is usually easier to find information on public companies. For tips on finding information on private companies, go to the related tab at the top of this page.

3. What about the company's "family tree"?
Is it a parent company? Division of another? Foreign-owned? Family-owned?

4. Is the company newsworthy?
Companies tend to be in the news when they want the PR, when they are performing extremely well, or when they are having problems. Even a small private company may be considered newsworthy by local press.

To get help with these questions, start with a directory listing or company profile. Go to the “Databases” tab at the top of the page, and look for the link to "Company Profiles."

A company profile may be a brief directory listing or a detailed report, with information ranging from a headquarters address to lengthy descriptions of the company's operations and financial performance.

Note: Profiles for private companies are usually limited in content, and the financials included in the profile may be "estimated."

AtoZ Databases
AtoZdatabases is a reference and marketing database marketed to Library, Academic, and Government institutions throughout the U.S. This web-based solution provides details on businesses and households within the U.S.
Business Source Elite

Business Source Elite encompasses a selection of business disciplines, offering access to 492 active full-text journals, along with abstracted and indexed journals..
GuideStar
Contains detailed information for non-profit organizations, including revenue and expense data, contact information, and annual reports
Hoovers

NOTE: Hoover's data is also available in Mergent Intellect;
Hoover's provides information on over 24 million public and private companies. Search by company name or ticker symbol for competitor lists, company profiles, financials, IPO filings, news, and executive bios. Use multiple criteria to create company lists targeted to specific industries or geographic regions. Hoover's also provides a link to industry reports generated by First Research.
Mergent Intellect
Powered by D&B's Hoover's, Intellect provides access to private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, the ability to access industry profiles and much more. It also provides access to contact information for over 210 million U.S. consumers using WhitePages Pro data.
Nexis Uni
Nexis Uni provides access to the full text of hundreds of major business and legal journals, magazines, and U.S. and international newspapers. Company financial, country, tax, medical, federal and state legal information, and accounting information can also be accessed.
PrivCo
Users can create an individual account with their Butler email address. PrivCo.com is a proprietary database that sources private company financial data.

Financials for companies may be found in a variety of sources, including directories, databases and government or commercial websites.

Tip: If the company is public, a likely source is the company's website. To find financial statements on a company website, look for headings such as "Investor Relations," "About Us," or "SEC Filings."

When you find company financials, look for:

The report date
The currency used (in thousands, in millions, in U.S. dollars, etc.)
Whether or not the figures are "estimates."
The source for the financials (the company, the SEC, a directory listing, a database report)

BizMiner
BizMiner provides financial and market reports for thousands of U.S. industries at the state, metro, county, or zip code level. Use BizMiner to find financial benchmarks, business startup trends, and more.
Market Atlas
Market Atlas replaced Mergent Online as of July 2025. Data includes: company histories, business, property, officers, directors, long term debt, Moody's ratings, capital stock, income statement, balance sheet, stock splits, and dividend payment history. Information also includes annual reports (full-image), company archives for many inactive U.S. firms, EDGAR access for US companies (i.e., 10-K, 10-Q, etc.), and "equity portraits" for over 10,000 U.S. firms.
Morningstar Investment Research Center
Morningstar is an investment database that provides information on stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and options. The database can be used to create a portfolio and conduct company and industry research.

Companies tend to be in the news when they want the PR, when they are performing extremely well, or when they are having problems. Even a small private company may be considered newsworthy by local or national press. Company news may be found in a variety of publication types, including:

Company press releases (often available on company website)
National newspapers, such as the Wall Street Journal
State and local newspapers
Regional business publications, such as Indianapolis Business Journal
Business news magazines
Trade periodicals, such as Automotive News

Business Source Elite

Business Source Elite encompasses a selection of business disciplines, offering access to 492 active full-text journals, along with abstracted and indexed journals..
Indianapolis Star/News (1991 - present)
Full text of newspaper articles indexed from the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis News, and Sunday Star.
Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition (ProQuest)
This is the Eastern edition of the Wall Street Journal, available from 1984 to the present.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Databases for Company Research

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