Research Guides: Company Research: International Companies

Good Places to Start

Hoover's Company Records (via ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Brief description, history, sales, competitors, etc.
Standard & Poors NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Companies traded on U.S. exchanges, Industries, Investment
Info types: company info and financials, bond ratings, industry overviews and trends, stock reports, mutual fund reports
Access Tips: In Company Profiles, note numerous links to the left leading to detailed info.

Articles

ProQuest One Business This link opens in a new window
Articles from major business periodicals, the Wall Street Journal, and academic journals.
Brief Instruction Video: Using ProQuest PowerSearch

Annual Report to Shareholders

If the company is public, look for the Annual Report to Shareholders on the company web site. It's often behind a link called Investor Relations or just Investors.

Unfortunately, in some cases the annual report might not be available in English!

If you can't find it on the web site or need an older annual report, see Other Sources for Annual Reports further down on this page.

Disclosure Filings (including 20-F forms)

EDGAR - company search
International companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges must file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC makes these reports available via EDGAR. International companies might not file 10-K reports--instead you may find 20-Fs, a similar (though often briefer) annual filing.
SEDAR
Find filings for Canadian companies. This is Canada's equivalent of SEC filings.
Companies House
This is the UK's version of EDGAR. Documents are in PDF format.

Great for Background Info!

International Directory of Company Histories
Call Number: REF HD 2721 .I63
Essays on companies discuss history & recent developments.

Esearch - Books & Ebooks

Other Sources for Annual Reports (current and past years)

ProQuest Annual Reports Collection
Easy place to find some older annual reports by company.
AnnualReports.com
At AnnualReports.com you can find PDF files of current annual reports for a large number of public companies. Includes reports from some international exchanges.
Free. No registration. Quick and easy.
Public Register's Annual Report Service (PRARS)
At this site you can request that annual reports for participating companies be mailed to you.

Research Tips

If an international company is publicly traded, you can usually find detailed financials--especially if it is also traded on one of the U.S. stock exchanges.

Well-known international companies may be found in the International Directory of Company Histories or books on the company may be found in the library catalog.

If your company is a subsidiary, you will need to research the parent company. You might not be able to find separate financial info on the subsidiary. However, info on the subsidiary might be found in articles, the parent company's 20-F (if traded on a U.S. exchange), and other sources.