Business 

Privately held companies are not required to file financial data with the SEC, nor do they sell stock to the public.

Unless they willingly provide annual reports or information, or are the subjects of news articles, research on private companies will be challenging. Consider choosing a public company instead.

Directories and company profiles provide brief facts and limited financial data. Consult more than one resource; coverage varies. Some sources provide exact figures; others provide estimates or ranges.

Perform an Advanced Keyword search in the JHU Libraries Catalog to locate additional directories in the reference collection.

Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations
General  Reference HG4057.A1S8
Online version in Standard & Poor's Netadvantage

Ward's Business Directory
General Reference HG4057.A1W35
also see the rankings vols.
 
Directory of Corporate Affiliations
General Reference HG4057.A217
Online version

Book of Lists (Baltimore Business Journal)
Research Consultation Office HC108.B2B66
annual rankings of local businesses by industry, includes a table on private companies

Book of Lists (Washington Business Journal)
General Reference HG4058.W3 B66


Electronic Directories (for JHU):

Hoover's Academic

Hoover's Company Records

Lexis-Nexis Academic

Dun and Bradstreet's Million Dollar Database

ReferenceUSA: an online phonebook

Marketline Business Information Center

Often the only way to retrieve information on private companies is through article indexes and news sources. Click on the articles or newspapers tabs above and search on your company name, or its parent company, in core resources.

Search Tips:

Add product or location to your search if the company name is too common or the search results are too broad.

Target news and business sources of the geographic region where the company is based or where its headquarters are located.