Does the library have any annual reports?
Answer
Annual reports are published by publicly-traded companies to educate current and potential stockholders about company activities and performance. They contain discussions of the previous year's activities, plans for the coming year(s), and financial data. Private companies often do not have annual reports.
Related to annual reports are 10-K reports, which are filed with the SEC by publicly traded companies. While they do not contain charts, photos or graphics, they do contain more information than a typical annual report.
If you need only financial data (income statement, balance sheet) you may not need an actual annual report. Company financials can be downloaded from Mergent Online, available on the Business Databases page.
Recent annual reports are now commonly offered from the company's own website. A Google search will often yield the company website. Annual reports may be hidden under such links as "About the Company" or "Investor Relations."
Web Collections of Annual Reports. The websites below will lead to either company websites or the data directly:
- Public Register's Annual Report ServiceThe annual reports of public companies traded on the NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, OTC and TSX exchanges can be ordered without charge from this searchable site. Reports are mailed free to addresses within the United States. Also links to over 2,000 annual reports online at Public Register Online.
- Corporate Reports Online is a project of the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. The collection consists of annual reports in PDF format from U.S. companies, and covers the period 1800 through 1955.
- Columbia Historical Corporate Reports Online Collection offers digitized annual reports for 36 corporations that operated in and around New York City, ranging from the 1850s through the early 1960s.
- U. S. Securities & Exchange Commission The Securities & Exchange Commission is the United States government agency charged with the regulation of publicly traded companies and the markets and exchanges on which they trade. Filings submitted to the SEC are posted on their website. Go directly to https://www.sec.gov/edgar/search-and-access
Mergent Online. Available from the Business Databases page. From the main menu, under Company Search, search by company name or ticker symbol. Then click on the "Reports" tab for a list of reports starting with the most recent.