Introducing… Compustat data
06/02/2020

Does your research need in-depth historical financial data for North American companies? Has your supervisor told you to use Compustat data? If so, take a look at the Capital IQ platform.
Capital IQ data includes both quarterly and annual data from Compustat dating back to the late 1970s for both active and inactive companies. You can use a wide variety of criteria – including industry, company account items, financial ratios, S&P indices, etc. – to produce data for groups of companies.
Compustat data is only available for North American companies that have been or are currently quoted on the following US stock exchanges/indexes:
- the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ, TSX, or NYSE/Arca exchanges.
- the S&P 500, S&P 400, S&P 600, S&P/TSX Composite or Russell 3000 indices.
To access the Compustat data within Capital IQ, select the appropriate option from the left-hand menu.

You can use a wide variety of criteria – including industry, company account items, financial ratios, S&P indices, etc. to produce tailor-made reports and graphs for both individual firms and groups of companies and export data to Excel.
You can also access Compustat financials from within the Excel add-in by right clicking on an empty cell and go to ADD Formula > Financials > Compustat Financials.
Access to Capital IQ is available here. You will need to set up an account to use it. Find out how in our post on Setting up your account on Capital IQ.
For more information, contact the Library.
Feature image from Pixabay. Available at:https://pixabay.com/photos/business-stock-finance-market-1730089/
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Library services over Easter, 3-6 April
Kings Norton Library will remain open for study 24/7. You will need your University ID card to enter the building and can use the self-service machines to borrow and return items as usual. Barrington Library ...
How do I access the full-text of Harvard Business Review (HBR)?
This is a frequently asked question, and it's worth knowing how to access this key management journal. So, how do you access HBR in full-text? The short answer is via our eJournals finder. You can find ...
Engineering problem to solve? Let Knovel help you find a solution
Did you know that Knovel provides you with more than just eBooks? Knovel is a key database for many engineering, mechanical and materials courses here at Cranfield University, and contains content from an extensive range ...
What happens when female scholars meet influential leaders?
On the 5 March 2026, our British Council Women in STEM Scholars had the privilege of sitting down with two excellent role models of industry and academia: Professor Dame Karen Holford, ...
From MSc to CEO: Igniting a research revolution
For many, a master’s degree is achieving a big milestone. Kilyan Ocampo, Computational Fluid Dynamics alumni shares how studying at Cranfield helped launch his career in the energy sector. Today, Kilyan ...
Commuting, collaborating and growing: My first term experience at Cranfield
My first term at Cranfield University has been an extremely positive and rewarding experience. While the course has been intense at times, it has pushed me in the best possible way and allowed me ...
