Use reliable sources to find research on publicly-traded companies

The amount of information available online about a publicly-traded corporation can be overwhelming. Get to know a few reliable sources that you can depend on for your investing needs. Credible news sources often offer the latest research on companies, along with stock quotes and PR feeds. News organizations can also allow you to set up e-mail notifications when breaking news happens on the company you are researching.

I recommend: Yahoo! Finance has company profiles by industry. Forbes has a list of the largest publicly-traded companies. MSN Money also has the latest news and information on companies.

Compare a publicly-traded company against others in the industry

When doing research on publicly-traded companies, begin by comparing them against others in the same industry. Compare stock quotes, company performance and trends against one another. Research publicly-traded companies to make key decisions within your business. When researching public companies, you need a broad view of the other companies in the same sector.

I recommend: The New York Stock Exchange has a list of publicly-traded companies. Investor Guide offers a list of companies with links to the company website. Financial Times has company research by sector.

Use online tools to follow a publicly-traded corporation

Online tools can do much of the research for you, from e-mail alerts when something changes on a company to stock tickers on your desktop. You can also use online news feeds to get the latest research on a company. These feeds can be viewed on a variety of sites or can sometimes be added to your blog.

I recommend: MarketWatch has tools to follow a stock, get news feeds on a company and e-mail alerts. TheStreet.com has screeners for any company stock or data. Kiplinger.com has tools and calculators for public company analysis.