Research Guides: BA 3630: Business Industry Cluster: Researching a Company

Introduction to Company Research Video

Note: The Libraries updated our website over the summer of 2025 so the site looks different now, though the functionality should be similar. I will be updating these videos over the Fall 2025 semester. Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions!

Book of Lists

The Book of Lists contains lists of local companies in a variety of industries, with companies ranked according to various criteria. These lists can give you an idea of what companies are located where, and which ones might be most appealing to you.

To access the Book of Lists, click the link below and then follow these directions:

Columbus Business First (Book of Lists)

Under "Read the Current Weekly Edition," select your desired city from the drop down menu (It's not just Columbus.)
Click on "Past Digital Editions" and you will see the latest Book of Lists for that city listed.

For Private Companies

PrivCo
PrivCo provides information on family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed and international unlisted companies. The Advanced search features include private company search, private investor search and venture capital search options.
Mergent Intellect
The Mergent Intellect database includes both private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures. Company profile pages include news events, financials, executive details, company family tree and more.
Preqin
Mainly intended as an resource for alternative investments research, this database has venture capital and private equity data and also includes limited profiles on startup companies.

For Public Companies

NetAdvantage
In NetAdvantage you can screen for a list of companies on standard company details like geography and industry, but also on financial information and stock performance parameters, equity details and valuation. Unique aspects of company profiles include a corporate timeline, biographical information on top executives and board members, executive compensation information that includes options and awards, fixed income information and analyst research reports.
D&B Hoovers
The unique aspects of the company profile pages in Hoovers are: a section on products and operations, information on the corporate family, information on 'Closest Industry Peers' and 'Closest Companies' and a section on 'Triggers' (information on major events like earnings calls or new product launches).
Mergent Online [Selected Articles in Full Text]
Mergent Online has information on both US and International companies and some private companies. You can search by company name or symbol, or go to the Advanced Search tab to screen a list of companies based on your criteria. Company profiles include unique aspects like information on company owned property, subsidiaries, long term debt and business segments; equity pricing; annual reports as well as filings; and a list of major competitors. You can build multiple company, or company comparison reports in the Report Builder tool.
Morningstar
This is mainly an investment research database, so it's limited to public companies, but if you're targeting a listed company, this would be a great place to go for in-depth information. Search by Ticker or name. Company information includes stock and performance analysis, key ratios, financials, valuation information, executive compensation and insider activity information, data on major shareholders, and company filings.
Value Line
Value Line provides investment information. The company pages include financial strength ratings, 3-5 year projections, industry analysis, peer comparisons, information on insider transactions and ratings regarding price stability and growth and earnings predictability.

Company Ownership

Note: Determining a company's ownership is the first step to conducting research. If a company is public, more information will be available as the company is required to report its finances, while a private company does not have to report any financial information. It is also helpful to know a company's place in a hierarchy (parent company, subsidiary, etc.). A number of databases will include this information in a company profile page.