Financial ratios and related measures reveal a company's solvency, efficiency, and profitability. Some assignments will require you to compare financial data of a company against its entire industry. You can search for industry data by browsing industries from an index, entering the name of the industry, or entering SIC or NAICS codes.

SIC and NAICS codes stand for Standard Industrial Classification and North American Industrial Classification System, respectively. These codes identify the industries in which the companies compete. Both codes are used in current industry reports.

Industry data is expensive to collect and disseminate in a useable form. Some companies or organizations provide this information at a premium cost. The Averett Library subscribes to two databases and some print sources with industry information.

Use Factiva or Hoover's Online to look up each SIC code and its descriptive name. In Factiva, the SIC code and name are on the "snapshot" page. In Hoover's Online, search for a company, then click on the "Industry" link. Write down the SIC number and description.

In KBR Web, click on "4" under "SIC" to display the code in four digits. Next, click in the text box and type in the name of the industry, or browse the list of SIC codes. When the report is displayed, it includes all "asset ranges" as the default. Select a report by clicking on the small icon of a page to the left of the screen or by clicking on the "report tab" on the right side of the screen. Note: KBR Web abbreviates many SIC descriptions ("air trans, scheduled" for "air transportation, scheduled").

In Factiva, click on the tab labeled "Companies/Markets," then click on "Company." Identify a prominent company in the industry you are interested in, then click "Reports, and the "Ratio Comparison Report." When you scroll down, you will see displayed a table with comparison of the ratio of your company against the entire industry.

Call the library to request financial ratios and other industry data from the following sources:

RMA's Annual Statement Studies: Financial Ratio Benchmarks (Ref HF5681 .B2 R6 v.2)

RMA's Annual Statement Studies: Industry Default Probabilities and Cash Flow Measures (Ref HF 5681 .B2 R6 v.1)

Standard and Poors' Industry Surveys