5.1 Balance Sheet
5.2 Income Statement
5.3 Statement of Cash Flow
5.4 Key Financial Ratios
5.5 List any subsidies your firm has received.
It is unlikely that you will find much financial information on privately held firms. The D&B report will provide a basic credit report on your firm and may contain additional financial information.
If you find a significant amount of financial information and you have no experience in reviewing financial documents, go first to our Financial Analysis for Union Researchers, or one of the many guides to corporate finance online, such as Merrill Lynch Guide to Understanding Financial Analysis.
Financial analysts utilize financial ratios to track the performance of a firm over time and to compare it to others in the industry. For a basic introduction to financial ratios, go to our Financial Analysis for Union Researchers or review the Financial Ratio Tutorial at Investopedia.
In addition to examining its overall finances, it is important to ascertain if your target firm has received any government subsidies. Good Jobs First Subsidy Tracker provides a list of a variety of types of subsidies. Good Job First also provides detailed information on which firms received COVID-19 subsidies with the COVID Stimulus Watch.
UMass Resources (for UMass students only)
Mergent Online provides some comprehensive information on privately held firms. Check “D&B Private Company Database” on the home page and make sure to click “full private company report” under the reports tab. The D&B Key Business Ratio provides financial ratios for industries based on NAICS codes.