Hoover's Online?

Hoover's Online? is an electronic database that provides company profiles, rankings, and other corporate-related information. Both U.S. and international companies are profiled with information available on millions of companies, including detailed records on both public and private sector companies.

Within the detailed company records, information can be found on:

• The history of the company

• The people of the company, including executives

• The products, operations, and industry

• The company?s competitors

• Current news about a company

• The company?s financial status

• SEC (Security Exchange Commission) filings

To access Hoover's Online?:

1. Go to the Sullivan University Library web page (http://library.sullivan.edu).
2. Place your mouse cursor on the DATABASES link. A drop-down menu will appear. Scroll down to ON CAMPUS ACCESS.
3. A drop-down menu will appear. Scroll down and click on Hoover's Online?.

If you are accessing Hoover's Online? off campus (remotely):

1. Go to the Sullivan University Library web page (http://library.sullivan.edu).
2. Place your mouse cursor on the DATABASES link. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. Scroll down and click on the OFF CAMPUS ACCESS link.
4. Follow the directions to access the databases remotely (off campus).
5. Your Sullivan University User ID and Password will be needed. (For help logging into the Sullivan University Library databases off campus, click here).

The Search for Business Information:

The default screen (home page) for Hoover's Online? is the Business Information Search Screen. From this screen you can search for information on a particular company or business as well as people and industries. Current business news headlines can be accessed.

Help and training information is also available from this screen.

To Locate Information on a Particular Company:

• From the Business Information /Search Screen (home page), type the company?s name in the search box.
  • NOTE: You can also search for people, industries, or news by clicking the appropriate tab above the search box. The default tab is set to COMPANIES.
• Click SEARCH.

A listing of matching company names, ticker names, and/or related names will appear under Hoover Company Search Results. (Sometimes you may also see company names that are D&B Matches. These are only available if purchased)..

• Click on the appropriate company name.
  • NOTE: If there are too many results, you can narrow down the search by using the location, sales, employees, company type, or location type links to the left of the page.

A web page will appear that provides brief, identifying information about the company. Included are contact details such as address and telephone number, as well as a link to the company's web page. 

• The company overview and the history categories provide access to chronological information,  and history of the company.
• The people and CEOs on camera categories include information about officers, key personnel, and others, including titles, ages, biographies, and salaries. Videos featuring key personnel can be found at the CEOs on camera site.
• The product/operations category can be helpful in discovering ?how a company makes its money.? This product/operations site contains annual sales breakdown charts (geographically, by product, or by line of business).
• The news category provides access to news and press releases from over 600 sources. The information is kept for 90 days.
• The financials category contains annual and quarterly financial information in addition to the latest stock quotes and market data. This includes ratio comparisons to industry and market data.
• The competitive landscape category contains financial details about the company in comparison to its three top competitors. 
• The SEC filings category provides access to all Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) filings including the 10K reports. A 10K is very similar to an annual report with detailed information.

To Locate Stock Information on a Particular Company: 

• From the Business Information Screen (home page), enter the ticker symbol for the company in the search box. Click SEARCH.
• Choose the appropriate company, if necessary, from the results.

A detailed stock quote will appear.

Building a Company List:

To build a company list:

• From the Business Information Search Screen (home page), click the Tools tab (the yellow tab) near the top right of the page.

• Click the Build a List link found under the "Build a List" section of the web page.

• At the next screen that appears, you can click on the various criteria. A drop-down menu will open for each criterion, including: Company Location, Company Size, Industry, Company Type, People, Financial Data, and Specialty Criteria.

• Select the appropriate information.

• Once you have finished selecting the criteria, you will notice a total results number near the bottom of the page. This number indicates how many companies fall under the items that were selected.

• Click VIEW RESULTS at the bottom of the page.

A listing of companies will appear that fit the criteria. The companies can be sorted in various ways by using the "sort by" box above the results. 

Building a Custom Report:

To build a custom report:

• From the Business Information Search Screen (home page), enter a company name or ticker symbol in the search box and click SEARCH.

• From the listing of company search results, click on the appropriate company name.

• A web page containing information about the company will appear. Scroll down and click on BUILD CUSTOM REPORT, found in the middle of the page under Company Record Tools. (NOTE: Smaller and privately owned companies may not have this option available).

• The Build Custom Report web page will appear. Select the content that you are interested in.

  • Content includes: The Basics; Officers & Employees; Biographies; Full Overview; History; Industry Information; Annual Income Statements; Annual Balance Sheets; Annual Cash Flow; Quarterly Income Statements; Quarterly Balance Sheets; Quarterly Cash Flow; Historical Financial; Employees & Auditors; Market Data; Comparative Data; and Competitive Landscape.
    

• Choose either PDF or HTML format.

• Click BUILD.

A report will appear containing the content that you requested. This can easily be printed for your research needs.

Browsing for Industries:

• A listing of industries can be obtained by clicking the INDUSTRIES tab above the search box on the Business Information Search Screen, then by clicking the BROWSE INDUSTRIES link that appears below the search box.

You will retrieve a listing of the various industries. Click on a particular industry or industry area to bring up information, including a listing of companies, related industries, web resources, SIC codes, and NAICS codes.

Conclusion:

There are other features available from Hoover's Online? that are not covered by this brief tutorial.

For further information, please consult Hoover's Help & Training screen or ask your librarian or instructor for assistance.