Finding companies by industry
In this guide, we'll show you how to find public companies by industry and where to access reliable company information.
Why Search by Industry?
Grouping companies by industry makes it easier to:
- Compare similar businesses
- Research competitors
- Identify industry trends
- Build watchlists
- Discover companies you may not have considered
For example, instead of researching one technology company, you can compare several companies operating in the same market.
Where to Find Public Companies
Several resources allow you to browse publicly traded companies by industry.
Common sources include:
- Stock exchanges
- Financial market websites
- Company screeners
- SEC filings
- Investor research platforms
Many of these tools let you filter companies by sector, industry, market capitalization, exchange, and other criteria.
Research Companies Using SEC Filings
Once you've identified a company, its SEC filings provide detailed information about its business and financial performance.
Useful filings include:
- 10-K - Annual reports
- 10-Q - Quarterly reports
- 8-K - Major company announcements
- Proxy statements - Corporate governance information
These filings are available through the SEC's EDGAR database. For help locating them, read our guide to finding any company's SEC filings.
What Information Can You Compare?
When researching companies within the same industry, investors often compare:
- Revenue growth
- Profitability
- Business model
- Market position
- Financial statements
- Risk factors
- Recent company developments
Reviewing these metrics across multiple businesses can provide a better understanding of the industry as a whole.
Build a Watchlist
After identifying companies that interest you, consider creating a watchlist.
Tracking a consistent group of companies makes it easier to:
- Follow quarterly earnings
- Monitor SEC filings
- Compare financial performance over time
- Stay informed about industry news
As you become familiar with an industry, comparing SEC filings between competitors can provide valuable insights into how different companies are performing.
Save SEC Filings as Clean PDFs
Reading SEC filings online can be inconvenient, especially when you want to save, print, or annotate them later. With SEC Filing PDF Generator, you can convert SEC filings into clean, downloadable PDFs in just a few clicks.
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