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Investment Research Guide

Finance/Investment Databases Available through the Library

Value Line Investment Survey

Comprehensive source of information and advice on approximately 1,700 stocks in 97 industries, the stock market, and the economy. Includes Value Line's publications covering stocks, mutual funds, options and convertible securities as well as special situation stocks.

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage

Online access to Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Mutual Fund/ETF Reports, Bond Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, and The Outlook, among others.

Mergent Online

Information on over 10,000 U.S. public companies and over 15,000 non-U.S. companies. Includes company history, officers, subsidiaries, financial data, and annual reports. Access to SEC filings (EDGAR) back to 1993. Also includes Company Archives, with information on over 4,000 public companies that were acquired, went bankrupt or merged out of existence from 1995 onward.

Business Source Ultimate

Profiles of world's 10,000 largest companies with over 3,100 SWOT analyses, industry reports, trade magazines and news articles.

ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry

Industry reports and news are searchable by NAICS codes. Articles about specific trades and industries, including telecommunications, computing, transportation, construction, petrochemicals, and many others.NFORM

Company Research

Gale Business: Insights (Database) - Gale Business: Insights offers thousands of global company, country, and business topic overviews as well as interactive rankings and statistics. Company information available within the "Browse All Companies" section includes corporate histories, SWOT reports, Thomson Reuters Company Financials and Investment Reports, and more.

Business Source Ultimate (Database) - Business Source Ultimate (an upgrade of Business Source Complete) offers more comprehensive full-text access to journals published in business disciplines, including management, marketing, finance, accounting, and economics. The "Company Profiles" section covers detailed reports of the world's 10,000 largest companies with over 3,100 SWOT analyses.

Data Axle Reference Solutions (Database) - Data Axle (formerly known as ReferenceUSA) provides access to over 24 million businesses, including local small-scale businesses, and 235 million consumer data compiled from thousands of sources.

EDGAR Company Filings (Website) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR is the repository for all corporate filings submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Filings in EDGAR contain basic information about a public company, financial data, executives, risk factors, trends, and more.

IBISWorld (Database) - Current market share and other useful information about companies are found in in-depth industry reports - "Major Companies" section.

International Directory of Company Histories (Book) - This directory is a must if you are looking for a thorough overview of a company. 

International Directory of Business Biographies (Website) - A great source of background information on the CEOs and other leaders of major companies.

Mergent Intellect (Database) - Mergent Intellect provides information about more than 310 million businesses globally (including 70 million in the U.S.), 90 million executives, 900 industry segments, and over 250 North American residents. Unlike many other business databases that primarily focus on public companies, Mergent Intellect focuses more on private companies. Company profiles include basic company details (e.g., address, industry, number of employees), industry details, information about key executives, and a list of companies that are affiliated.

Mergent Online (Database) - Mergent Online covers company history, subsidiaries, financial data, and annual reports on U.S. public companies and international companies.  Also provides access to SEC filings (EDGAR).

Mergent Market Atlas [TRIAL] (Database) - Trial ends June 30, 2025. Mergent Market Atlas offers details on company financials, ratios, business segments, descriptions, sustainability, officers and directors. Provides quick access to a multitude of company, industry, index, ESG and economic data views and reports. Mergent Market Atlas delivers the same comprehensive suite of financial information used by professionals under LSEG's Refinitiv and FTSE Russell brands.

PrivCo (Database) - PrivCo offers detailed data on US-based, non-publicly traded corporations, including family-owned, private equity-owned, and venture-backed companies. Its advanced search capacity allows users to conduct in-depth company, investor, M&A, venture capital funding, and private equity research.

Thomas Register (Website) - Want to know who makes latex gloves?  Check Thomas. AKA "the Green Book," a great source for information on industrial distributors and manufacturers and related services. 

Ward's Business Directory of US Private and Public Companies (Book) - Ward's Business Directory provides extensive ranked lists of companies in most industries and states.

Ward's Business Directory of Private and Public Companies in Canada and Mexico (Book)

Westlaw (Database) - Westlaw offers company information from Hoover's Company Records, including company profiles for thousands of private and public U.S. corporations and SEC Filings.  It also provides access to selected business and trade publications, such as Advertising Age and Inside Business.

Fresno County: FBN Lookup (Website)

California Secretary of State: Business Search (Website)

Company websites - Although the information found on a company's website is often overlooked, it can be helpful and valuable for your research.  For example, sections such as "For Investors" and "About Us" indicate that the company is public and point you toward ownership-related information.

Fresno County Library: Resources for Investment Research

The Fresno County Public Library (FCPL) provides remote access to a wealth of information resources for investors, including the popular Morningstar Investment Service database. Please use your FCPL card number to access them online.