When researching a company, it is important to know whether it is public, private or a subsidiary of a larger company.
Public companies are corporations whose ownership is dispersed among the general public in many shares of stock which are freely traded on a stock exchange or in over the counter markets. These companies are required to submit financial information and annual reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Public companies are therefore easier to research as a general rule of thumb.
Private companies are owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock (shares) to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the company's stock is offered, owned and traded or exchanged privately.These companies are not required to release as much information to the government or the general public. They are therefore more challenging to research.
Subsidiaries is a company that is owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company, parent, or holding company and is not required to report on each of them individually. Therefore, when researching a subsidiary, you often have to read carefully through reports about the parent and look for references to the subsidiary.