Company Websites are valuable sources of information. Look for the section for Investors (usually called Investor Relations). This section will have annual reports, SEC filings, and reports of earnings in the form of conference calls or presentations.

SEC filings are the most important and useful portion of investor relations. These are compliance documents that detail firm performance and future viability. The documents you want to look for:

• 10K: This is the annual filing; Pay attention to Item 1, the business description and 1a, risk. Item 7 is also critical. This is called the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Performance and Results of Operations (MDA). Crucial to understand financial performance and operations
• 10Q: Quarterly filing. It 2a is the MDA for the quarter.
• 8-K: Irregular filing of an event that materially affects the value of the firm; Think of a press release on steroids!

Start by checking out the company’s website 

• Pay particular attention to the investor relations portion (see Nike's Investor Page as an example) 
• Check site for webinars, presentations, and conference calls recordings
• Review SEC filings for detailed analysis of operations and financial performance. The best SEC filings to review are the 10K, 10Q and recent 8Ks.
  • The 10K is the annual filing that has several sections worth looking at including the Business Description (outlines the company's strategy including strengths and opportunities), the Risk Factors (describes things that might prevent that strategy from being executed including threats and weaknesses) and the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Performance and Operating Conditions (does just what it says!)

Marketline

To search:

• Select Company Profiles
• Type your company's name
• Inside the report, there will be a company overview with key facts and top competitors.
• SWOT ANALYSIS is a great tool for strategically understanding the competition's strengths and shortcomings

Business Insights: Global

Alternatively, the database Business Insights: Global has both case studies and SWOT analysis

Mergent Intellect

• Click Mergent Intellect (there are two Mergent databases, both will give you profiles but this is talking about Intellect specifically)
• Type your company’s name and click SEARCH

Finish with Statista

• Statista is great for Company, Industry and Consumer reports. Their reports are data-driven and they are a great place for graphs and raw numbers.
• To find company reports, Find the "Report" tab and hover until you see the "Brands & Company Reports section
• Search your company by name
• Reports can be downloaded as PDF or Powerpoints

For more help, check out these tutorials. Note you may need to be logged into the database (with your MyCal State LA login) to view.