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Company Credit Ratings

This guide lists sources which provide information and access to company credit ratings.  

The guide focuses on suggested strategies and best places to begin research efforts. For information & assistance in using any of the sources, please contact library staff:

• In person, at the MCOB Library Service Desk
• By phone @ 251-414-8067
• By email @ dlharrington@usouthal.edu

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Getting Started:

InvestorWords.com
What do all those financial terms mean?  This financial glossary, sponsored by WSJ, provides over 6,000 terms which can be browsed by subject or letter OR searched by keyword.

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Key Sources:

Business & Company Resource Center 
 Provides Investext reports researched by leading stock analysts. 

• Click on the 'Company' icon from the main screen.
  
• Enter the company name or ticker symbol, choose 'ultimate parent', and click the 'search' button at the bottom of the screen.
  
• Click your company name on the results list.
• At the top of the screen are various tabs to company information--choose 'Investment Reports'.
• Review reports which vary based on the investment firm; some reports provide ratings with explanations.

Standard & Poor's - Credit Ratings
Free credit ratings information provided after a free registration process.

• Click on "Find a Rating" on the left toolbar.
• Next, "Credit Ratings Search."
• You will be asked for your ID and password.  Click on the register link at the bottom  if this is your first time using the source. 
• Enter organization or fund name.
• Ratings are provided for S&P companies only.
• To get an explanation of the ratings used, click on the link on the left toolbar to "Standard and Poor's Rating Definitions."

Standard & Poor's Ratings Guide: Corporate Bonds, Commercial Paper, Municipal Bonds, International Securities
MCOB Reference HG 4651 .S7 1979

Standard & Poor's Research Insight Database
(MCOB Lab Use Only)

S&P Research Insight is available for use in the MCOB Labs. If you are a first time user, please ask for assistance by contacting Deborah Harrington to set up an appointment.

S&P RI Manuals are now available on the Web in PDF Format. To learn the basics of the system, which includes more information on how to run preformatted reports such as the ones outlined below, refer to the 'Getting Started Guide'.

I. To run a Company Highlights Report which will include S&P Credit Ratings:

1. Click on the Company Highlights Report button (4th button on the left toolbar).
2. When the run assistant box appears, type in the ticker symbol of the company in the 'Companies' text box & click on the 'OK' button at the bottom.
3. S&P ratings will be listed on the left in the center of the report.
4. To locate explanations for the ratings, use the pull-down menu under 'Help' at the top of the screen and choose 'Data and Reference'.  When the indexes appear, click on the 'Find' tab and enter the term 'rating'.  When the results list appears, choose 'Short-term Issuer Credit Rating' and 'Long-term Issuer Credit Rating'.
5. Note:  1-3 ratings are assigned per company.
6. When the report appears, click the print button.
   
   
To save your report for use in Excel:

1. Pull down the 'File' menu at the top of the screen and select 'Save As'
2. Name file and saves as a .txt file
3. Click the button on the right 'Text Options'
4. Click on 'Comma' and 'Use Labels'
5. Click OK
6. Put disk in drive--choose--directory--OK

To open your file in Excel:

1. Open Excel
2. Use the 'File' pull-down menu and select 'Open'
3. Browse and locate drive and file name [see 'All Files]
4. Choose, 'Delimited', then Next
5. Take the check mark off of 'Tab' and click on 'Comma', then Next
6. Click 'Finish'
7. Review Columns and Rows in Excel in comparison to your printout and adjust as needed.


II. To run reports that analyze a company's long-term credit ratings:

1. From the left toolbar menu, click on the 3rd button from the bottom 'Open Report' .
2. Scroll down the list of folders and double click on the folder that is titled 'Credit Analysis'.
3. Highlight the name of the report you want to run and click 'Finish' at the bottom.
4. When the run assistant box appears, type in the ticker symbol of the company in the 'Companies' text box & click on the 'OK' button at the bottom.
5. When the report appears, click the print button and/or save for use in Excel.

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Last Updated: 7/17/07 DLH