The library database IBISWorld is one place to start searching for industry and large companies' ratios, and you can look up many specific company's financial ratios in the Business Insights database. You can access IBISWorld and Business Insights on the library A-Z Databases List.
Financial ratios are often used to compare a company against an industry average or other companies in order to benchmark or measure a company’s performance. Industry ratios are often useful when creating the financial components of a business plan.
IBIS World
To find ratios for the industry search IBIS World for the industry: by keyword, industry code (NAICS, SIC) or by the name of the company. When the report opens, scroll down the left menu, then click on "Financial Benchmarks" and go down to the "Financial Ratios" section
Business Insights
You can look up one or more companies (to compare) in this database. Click on Company Profile for an overview of the company, and financial ratios will pop up on the right side below the basic info:
Depending on the assignment, there are additional resources where you will find industry ratios such as the following websites.
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Yahoo! Finance: search for your company and then select "Statistics."
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Ethisphere has a listing of the 100 most ethical companies.
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Fortune has a listing of Most Admired Companies.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) audits companies on environmental performance.
