Use Google Alerts to keep track of news on your company. It's incredibly easy to do and you'll be glad that you aren't missing anything important when you step into the panel.

Click the link below to set one up in a few easy steps:

1. Enter your company name as your search

2. Select NEWS for results type

3. Select how often you want to be updated (daily or weekly); I'd do daily but that's me

4. Enter your email address

Researching a Company for the Capstone Panel

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Start by checking the company’s website

• Pay particular attention to the investor relations portion of the website
• Check for webinars, presentations and conference calls
• Review the Annual Report for corporate governance, strategy, sales targets, and upcoming opportunities, obligations or obstacles
• TIP: The company's website should have a separate section on governance. It is one of the few places you can find this information. This is worth reviewing quicky with an eye towrds understanding the company's internal controls, ethical focus and governing structures.
• TIP: See the last tab for direct links to investor relations for the three companies used this quarter.
• TIP: The Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations (MDA) from the most recent 10Q (Section 2A) and or 10K (Section 7A) is the SINGLE BEST THING YOU CAN READ FOR PREPARING FOR YOUR PANEL! Find this at the comany's website under SEC filings (direct links are under last tab of the guide for each company).
• TIP: If there are any recent 8K's filed, check these out! An 8K is filed when something materially affects the value of the equity/business. These can provide information about expansion plans, sales targets, risk factors and more.

2. Get a company profile and a global industry report along with cutting edge news and analysts trend reports from MarketLine

• Select MarketLine
• Type your company's name or line of business
• GO
• Click  COMPANY for a company reports, INDUSTRY for industry analysis
• Useful sections:
  • Company Report: Company History, SWOT Analysis, Management Statement
  • Industry Survey: Porter's 5 Forces, Revenue, Economic Indicators

3. Retrieve complete standardized financials from Mergent :

• Click Mergent
• Start typing your company's name
• Click on their ticker/name as it appear
• Click on Company Financials
• Choose balance sheet, income statement, cash flows from the pull downs
• Choose prelims, as reported, standardized (recommended!)
• TIP: You can also get Ratios and Analysis (3 or 5 year CAGR for items from income statement, balance sheet and ratios) 
• TIP: You can also get common sized (percentage of a whole not actual dollars) income statement and balance sheet for comparison to industry averages using BizMiner (see below).
• TIP: With the report builder you can create an excel spreadsheet that has everything in one place! Easy to use; just select report builder and make your selections.)

4. Retrieve industry ratios with highs and lows for companies in an industry from D&B Key Business Ratios

• Select D&B Key Business Ratios
• Select your company's SIC code (go to the last tab for your company's SIC code) from the pull-down

5. Use Factiva to get a ratio comparison report comparing your company to sector and industry performance:

• Click COMPANIES/MARKETS
• Enter your company's name or ticker
• Click SEARCH
• Click REPORTS
• Select Ratio Comparison Report
• Click VIEW REPORT

6. Get Marketshare from the Business Insights Global

• Click Business Insights
• Enter your company's name or line of business
• Click MARKETSHARE REPORTS from information types/sources list on the left

7. Use Morningstar to get valuable ratios and metrics on financial and stock performance:

• Morningstar
• Enter ticker symbol
• Click tabs for information on stock analysis, key ratios, performance, and valuation