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Enough about industries and NAICS and SIC codes. Let's talk stocks and bonds!
Read Part 2
Read Part 4
Enough about industries and NAICS and SIC codes. Let's talk stocks and bonds!
3) How can I find out more about company x's stock?
Investing information is sought after regularly by our customers, both in-person and in the Call Center. Though most of the information needed is of the current variety (or even the future, as is the case with options contracts), historical data is sometimes needed too, when estates or amended tax returns are concerned. Most of our resources on this topic are housed in the Investment Resources shelf near the current periodicals, though searching online is sometimes the most efficient option.
Business & Company Resource Center's Financial Tab contains a wealth of information that would be helpful to a customer doing investment research. For a given company, you can find income statement, balance sheet, cash flow and investment ratio information on an annual or interim basis, from current back to the last six periods. The Financials Dashboard tab contains current stock prices and charts, along with important news stories affecting the company. BCRC Tutorial (Financial Tab)
LexisNexis Library Express (online database) also has a stock chart and brief financial data on its snapshot page in company profiles. Search by company name or ticker symbol in Get Company Info.
Google Finance (Web) This is a useful site for getting current or historical stock prices, and especially for finding a particular company's option chain. Visit the wayback machine to review finding option chain information in Google Finance.
Big Charts (Web) Bought by MarketWatch, Big Charts is still a good place to find current and historical stock prices also, though the option chain information is a bit more cumbersome than Google Finance.
Bondsonline.com(Web) Though not asked for as often as stocks, bond information - corporate, municipal and treasuries - can be found at this website.
Morningstar Mutual Funds (Investment Resources) Long considered the top source of mutual fund ratings and information. Funds are rated on a five-star rating system (5 is the highest) in a variety of areas.
Value Line Investment Survey (Investment Resources) The individual stock counterpart of the Morningstar Ratings, the Value Line Investment Survey rates stocks on a scale of 1 to 3 (one is highest) on timeliness, safety and technical factors. Each week's report focuses on stocks from a particular segment (ex.- pharmaceutical stocks) and gives a brief overview and outlook for that industry, followed by the individual reports in alphabetical order.
Value Line Mutual Fund Survey (Investment Resources)
S & P's Stock Reports (Investment Resources) Published semi-monthly, the Stock Reports offer detailed reports on almost 2,000 publicly-traded companies. Features include an overview with business description & product commentary, income statements & balance sheet, dividend and stock price range. More current data can be found online, and the Value Line Investment Survey has more timely ratings.
S & P's Stock Guide (Investment Resources) This is offers more comprehensive (7,000 companies) coverage, less detailed look at stocks, including dividend yield, brief balance sheet, market capitalization (price x outstanding shares), last five annual earnings statistics, P/E (price to earnings ratio) and stock price.
S & P's Bond Guide (Investment Resources) Similar to the Stock Guide, except with bonds. Lists corporate bonds' balance sheet information, price range, yield and rating.
Bond Tables of Probable Future Returns (332.6323) An evaluation tool for investors, Bond Tables provides information as to the mathematical likelihood of a bond's future price direction for specific probabilities.
Wall Street Journal (microfilm & online database) The WSJ can also be used to determine prices of stocks on various dates.
Obscure & Obsolete Stocks
National Quotation Service (Investment Resources) Also known as the "pink sheets," these pink-colored volumes contain stock pricing information for "penny stocks," or those smaller capitalization companies that are not offered on the major markets (NYSE, AMEX) but are instead listed over-the-counter via dealers. We are no longer receiving this title, but it can be consulted for historical prices.
Stock Values and Dividends for (date) Purposes (332.6322) Holdings include 1965 to 1996. This is historical data that can be used for finding stock prices & dividend information for the close of business of the previous year (ex. - the 1996 edition contains prices as of close of business 1995)
LexisNexis Library Express (online database) also has a stock chart and brief financial data on its snapshot page in company profiles. Search by company name or ticker symbol in Get Company Info.
Google Finance (Web) This is a useful site for getting current or historical stock prices, and especially for finding a particular company's option chain. Visit the wayback machine to review finding option chain information in Google Finance.
Big Charts (Web) Bought by MarketWatch, Big Charts is still a good place to find current and historical stock prices also, though the option chain information is a bit more cumbersome than Google Finance.
Bondsonline.com(Web) Though not asked for as often as stocks, bond information - corporate, municipal and treasuries - can be found at this website.
Morningstar Mutual Funds (Investment Resources) Long considered the top source of mutual fund ratings and information. Funds are rated on a five-star rating system (5 is the highest) in a variety of areas.
Value Line Investment Survey (Investment Resources) The individual stock counterpart of the Morningstar Ratings, the Value Line Investment Survey rates stocks on a scale of 1 to 3 (one is highest) on timeliness, safety and technical factors. Each week's report focuses on stocks from a particular segment (ex.- pharmaceutical stocks) and gives a brief overview and outlook for that industry, followed by the individual reports in alphabetical order.
Value Line Mutual Fund Survey (Investment Resources)
S & P's Stock Reports (Investment Resources) Published semi-monthly, the Stock Reports offer detailed reports on almost 2,000 publicly-traded companies. Features include an overview with business description & product commentary, income statements & balance sheet, dividend and stock price range. More current data can be found online, and the Value Line Investment Survey has more timely ratings.
S & P's Stock Guide (Investment Resources) This is offers more comprehensive (7,000 companies) coverage, less detailed look at stocks, including dividend yield, brief balance sheet, market capitalization (price x outstanding shares), last five annual earnings statistics, P/E (price to earnings ratio) and stock price.
S & P's Bond Guide (Investment Resources) Similar to the Stock Guide, except with bonds. Lists corporate bonds' balance sheet information, price range, yield and rating.
Bond Tables of Probable Future Returns (332.6323) An evaluation tool for investors, Bond Tables provides information as to the mathematical likelihood of a bond's future price direction for specific probabilities.
Wall Street Journal (microfilm & online database) The WSJ can also be used to determine prices of stocks on various dates.
Obscure & Obsolete Stocks
Robert D. Fisher Manual of Valuable and Worthless Securities (332.632) This multi-volume set includes information on over 750,000 companies that "have been reorganized, merged, liquidated, dissolved, or which have forfeited their charters for failure to pay taxes, etc." Covers companies from the mid-1920s to early 1940s; not used that often, but in case it is, you'll know where to look.
Stock Values and Dividends for (date) Purposes (332.6322) Holdings include 1965 to 1996. This is historical data that can be used for finding stock prices & dividend information for the close of business of the previous year (ex. - the 1996 edition contains prices as of close of business 1995)
Walker's Manual of Unlisted Stocks (332.6322) and Walker's Manual of Penny Stocks (332.63223) can be used for historical data on tiny, low-priced, small-cap stocks.
Directory of Obsolete Securities (332.67) This source can be used by investors who are trying to identify old stock certificates (often inherited), with details such as former company names, mergers and final action making it obsolete (example - "each share Common $1 par exchanged for $4.20 cash).
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