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MGMT 485: Strategic Management

A guide to researching companies and industries.

What is a public company?

Public companies are companies whose shares are traded freely on a stock exchange like NASDAQ or NYSE. Publicly traded companies must file various forms and documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) detailing their financial performance and governance structure. Because of these requirements, information on public companies is easy to find. 

You will need to know:

For a quick profile of a public company's financial position, use:

Find company profiles

Use SEC filings

Read news and in-depth articles