The seven comparison tables presented here are designed to show you where a company stands in relation to others. For example, you may know by now that your company has a Return on Equity of, say, 14%. Is that good? Is this a successful company? You won't be able to answer that question until you see how that number compares with key benchmarks. A 14% Return on Equity may look good compared to the returns offered by U.S. Government bonds. But suppose the average Return on Equity for the S&P 500 is above 20%. Or, perhaps, the company's average Return of Equity over the past five years was 22%. Such comparisons would make a recent 14% tally look less appealing. But don't jump too quickly to a conclusion. Suppose the average Return on Equity for the Industry in which the company operates is 11%, and that the average Industry ROE for the past five years was 19%. Now, the picture changes. We see that the company's ROE, although not superlative, is superior to the lackluster returns posted by others in its industry. Many other data items need to be examined the same way.

This can become extremely cumbersome. But that won't happen if you use the Market Guide Comparison Report. It presents a group of easy-to-read tables showing you how the company measures up against each of three different peers groups in terms of 49 factors (recent and historical) in seven important categories. The peer groups are the S&P 500, the benchmark most frequently used to measure a particular company/stock against the overall equity market, the industry in which the company operates, and a sector comprised of other similar industries. (Below the data tables, you can see a specific list of all other companies in the same industry, and a list of all industries within the sector.) It will only take a few minutes for you to determine whether your company is a leader or a laggard.

Below is a sample of a complete Ratio Comparisons report on McDonald's. You can use the side menu to select more detailed discussions of the components.