Publicly traded companies are required by law to disclose their yearly financials to the United States Government through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The document that is filed is called a 10-K. Most public companies also produce an annual report that is available to their shareholders. 10-Ks are much more detailed (100-200 pages) and annual reports are glossy and provide a general overview of the company's performance for the year.

10-Ks and annual reports can be found using the Mergent Online database (5th listing under the "Core Business Databases" section from the link provided). After searching for a company within Mergent Online, you can find 10-Ks and annual reports by looking under the Reports and Filings tabs. They can be downloaded immediately.

Another option to consider is looking at the company's website. Most companies have an "Investor Relations" section on their website where these documents can be found.

NOTE: Private companies are not required to disclose their financial information. This makes finding information on private companies more difficult. For tips on doing private company research, visit the Private Companies section of the Company Research @ Pitt guide.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Business Librarian or write to Ask Us.