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Find Company Annual Reports

Submitted by Anonymous on July 24, 2008 - 16:20

Company Annual Reports ...

  • are documents produced by publicly traded companies (i.e., companies which trade shares on a stock exchange)
  • are distributed each year to current and prospective shareholders
  • typically include a letter from the CEO, a complete list of board members, financial highlights, a review of the previous year's activities and projections for the future
  • are an authoritative record (audited by the exchange on which the company trades)
  • can be very useful for investment and marketing decisions
  • how to read annual reports

Sources for Finding Company Annual Reports

Geographic Coverage
Source
Date Coverage
File Format
Access / Help
GlobalCompany SpotlightCurrent YearPDFFree. Receive reports by mail or download. Contact details with an e-mail address are required.
GlobalCompany Web SitesUsually Current YearHTMLor PDFSearch for a company using your favourite search engine (e.g., Google). On the company home page, look for a link labelled Investor or Corporate Relations.
GlobalIRIN (Investor Relations Information Network)Mid 1990s to currentPDFFree. No registration required.
GlobalMergent Online
 		1990s to currentPDFMcMaster Users Only.
Search for a company, view profile then click on the Reports tab.
AfricaAfricanFinancials.com1997 to currentHTML or PDFFree. No registration required.
CanadaCanCorpLate 1970s-mid 1990'sMicroficheNo access restrictions.
Located at INNIS Library (Business), Kenneth Taylor Hall (KTH), Room 108). Microfiche located in cabinet near Reference area.
CanadaSEDAR (System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval)1997 to currentPDFFree. No registration required.
Online Tutorial with Audio
Canada / U.S.AnnualReports.comCurrent YearPDF and HTMLFree. No registeration required.
U.S.Corporate Reports Online1825 to 1975PDFFree. No registeration required.
U.S.EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval)
 		1990s to currentHTML

Free. No registration required.
Guides: Annual Report | Form 10-K
NOTE: Simplifed EDGAR searches available via Mergent Online (click on the Government Filings tab) and LexisNexis Academic (Select the Companies category > then SEC Filings)

U.S.LexisNexis Academic
 		1980s to currentHTMLMcMaster Users Only.
Select the Companies category > then SEC Filings
U.S.
(New York City)		Columbia Historical Corporate Reports Online Collection1849 to 1960sPDFFree. No registration required.

What to do if you can't find an annual report

  • Check your spelling and try again.
  • Company may be private. To find out a company's ownership type, do a company search in Factiva (Select Companies/Markets > Company > Enter company name or ticker symbol > Look in Ownership Type column to see the status of the company (i.e., Listed=Public, Unlisted=Private).
  • Still having trouble? Just Ask!

Only need company financials?

Try the following sources:

  • Mergent Online - McMaster Users Only
    • 15 years/quarters
    • active companies only
    • view company profile and click on Company Financials tab
       
  • WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services) - McMaster Users Only
    • Compustat North America, 20 years, 48 quarters
    • Compustat Global, 12 years
    • both datasets contain active and inactive companies
       

Last Reviewed: May 3, 2012