How do I determine a particular company's market share?
A company's market share is its sales measured as a percentage of an industry's total revenues.
Determine a company's market share by dividing its total sales or revenues by the industry's total sales over a fiscal period. Use this measure to get a general idea of the size of a company relative to the industry.
Total sales (Revenues) / Industry's total sales, over fiscal period
From Investopedia
Annual reports are tools used to analyze a public company's quality and profitability. They are used primarily by investors to determine whether to buy, hold, or sell stocks (shares of ownership in a company). Annual reports are often found on corporate websites under the "Investors" section; and are also available through our databases, such as MergentOnline.
All U.S. public companies are required to file three reports: 1) Annual Report to Stockholders; 2) 10-K Report; and 3) Proxy Statement.
1) ANNUAL REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS (ARS): A glossy, full color public relations booklet sent to all stockholders. It has information on past and projected activities, corporate officers, products, personnel needs, financial standing, and much more. Key sections include:
Financial Statements:
2) 10 K REPORT: Includes information on products, distribution, raw materials, market share, competition, research and development, patents, subsidiaries, major properties owned, joint ventures, and areas of vulnerability such as environmental safety or a reliance on a few major customers. Similar to the ARS, but use both for an in-depth company study.
3) PROXY STATEMENT: Sent to all stockholders prior to each annual meeting. Outlines what will be brought up for vote at that meeting. Has hard to find information such as legal actions taken by or against a company, and acquisitions or mergers. Also contains information on board members, top executives, salaries, and major stockholders.
Corporate Filings
All public companies that trade on stock exchanges within the United States are required to file their financial information annually with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC makes all recent company filings available through a database known as EDGAR. All filings are available as soon as the company submits them. It provides filings from 1996 to the present.
Industry classification codes can be used in the database MergentOnline to search by industry. There are different classification systems.