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ACCT 601: Financial Accounting: Industry Reports & Ratios

This is a guide for conducting company research from a financial accounting perspective, including financial data, analysis and current news stories; course guide for ACCT 100, 601 and 705.

Industry Ratios Sources

Sources for industry ratios include RMA's Statement Studies, Mergent D&B Manuals: Key Business Ratios, and S&P Global NetAdvantage.

Historical Financials and Ratios on WRDS

Ratios in RMA

Ratios in RMA eStatement Studies

You can sort ratios by Assets or by Sales.

Industry Analysis Databases

Industry Classification: What is a NAICS Code?

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is used to organize industry information. It's designed to produce common industry definitions for Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a hierarchical classification system, offering five levels of detail. Codes are assigned to an industry based on products and services provided by the industry.

Industries are represented by a six-digit number. The first two digits designate the economic sector: manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale, retail, professional services, etc. The subsequent digits designate subsectors and industry groups.

Each digit in the code is part of a series of progressively narrower categories.

Example:

72 - Accommodation and Food Services

722 - Food Services and Drinking Places

7225 - Restaurants and Other Eating Places

722511 - Full Service Restaurants

The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), an earlier U.S. system, is still used by some sources.