Compustat
Compustat is a comprehensive database of fundamental financial and market information on both active and inactive global companies, indices, and industries. Compustat Data including Compustat North America, Compustat International, Compustat Global, and Compustat Point-in-Time data sets Industry classification and universe management by GICS, NAICS, and SIC Key market identifiers, including CUSIP, ISIN, and SEDOL Monthly and daily pricing data Standard & Poor's and other leading Index Data Estimates data from Capital IQ and Thomson I/B/E/S Qualitative content including business descriptions, officer information, and executive compensation Corporate Actions and Insider and Institutional Holdings Capital IQ qualitative data Standard & Poor’s Stock Reports Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys Standard & Poor’s Issuer Credit Ratings How Compustat Works Some fun facts about the Compustat database: Covers 56,000+ companies worldwide Covers 88,000+ securities, more than 45,500 of them non-North American securities Includes companies from 112 nations Represents 98% of the world's total market capitalization Has annual data dating back to 1950; quarterly data from 1962 (U.S. companies) Has data dating back to 1979 for global companies The type of information published by Compustat includes Global Industry Classification Standards (GICS), pricing data, earnings data, insider and institutional holdings, and other information directed at investors, analysts, economists, academics, and other researchers. For example, revenue in an annual report normally reflects the accumulated total of all incoming cash, but in a Compustat report, it may be adjusted to distinguish between revenue from actual operations and revenue that resulted from one-time-only events (which the corporate report might only list in footnotes or supplements). In addition to publicly available information, Compustat includes datasets proprietary to Standard & Poor's, including stock reports and credit ratings issued by the firm.
What Is Compustat?
Compustat is a comprehensive database of fundamental financial and market information on both active and inactive global companies, indices, and industries.
The type of information published by Compustat includes Global Industry Classification Standards (GICS), pricing data, earnings data, insider and institutional holdings, and other information directed at investors, analysts, economists, academics, and other researchers.
Understanding Compustat
Compustat is a leading computerized source of market intelligence and company data — and one of the oldest: It has been produced by Standard & Poor's (S&P) since 1962. Its registered name is an amalgam of "computer" and "statistics," reflecting how novel the format must have seemed to Space Age users.
The service compiles raw financial reports filed by every public company, annually and quarterly. This includes current income, expenses, assets and liabilities, and past reports of the same data to facilitate trend analysis. Stock price history is also available.
The Compustat database is used by institutional investors, universities, portfolio managers, and analysts. In addition to publicly available information, Compustat includes datasets proprietary to Standard & Poor's, including stock reports and credit ratings issued by the firm.
Compustat primarily draws its data from SEC filings, which it standardizes to allow for better comparisons. It supplements this info with additional data sources as needed.
Special Considerations
Every report incorporated into the Compustat database is reviewed by analysts for adherence to its reporting and presentation formats. Automated systems perform a wide variety of internal data checks that help further assure data consistency.
For example, revenue in an annual report normally reflects the accumulated total of all incoming cash, but in a Compustat report, it may be adjusted to distinguish between revenue from actual operations and revenue that resulted from one-time-only events (which the corporate report might only list in footnotes or supplements). Or take the line item called cost of sales: In some corporate reports, they reflect direct cash outlays, while in others they include material allocations for many kinds of depreciation. In the latter case, Compustat's standardized reporting would distinguish the depreciation elements and list them separately.
Compustat Info and Products
Compustat offers subscribers a variety of databases. The two major ones are North America and Global, but there are several add-on databases as well. Overall, the following information is available:
Fundamentals
Integrated Databases
Proprietary Data
How Compustat Works
Compustat Stats
Some fun facts about the Compustat database:
Related terms:
S&P Capital IQ
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Commitments of Traders Report (COT)
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Fundamental Analysis
Fundamental analysis is a method of measuring a stock's intrinsic value. Analysts who follow this method seek out companies priced below their real worth. read more
Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS)
The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) is a system for categorizing every public company by economic sector and industry group. read more
Investability Quotient (IQ)
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Sector ETF
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Standard & Poor's (S&P)
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Trend Analysis
Trend analysis is a technique used in technical analysis that attempts to predict future stock price movements based on recently observed trend data. read more