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Answered By: Farha Hasan
Last Updated: May 08, 2024     Views: 2247

Q.
Finding a Time Series of Financial Data in Compustat

How do I find time series of financial data using Compustat in WRDS?

A.

You can search for financial data using Compustat in WRDS.

Choose Database

  • Select Compustat - Capital IQ
  • Under Other Compustat on left select North America – Annual Updates
  • Choose Fundamentals Annual

Step One: Date Range

  • Set Date Variable to Data date
  • Set Beginning Date month and year
  • Set Ending Date month and year

Step Two: Search

  • Set code format to GVKEY
  • Click Code Lookup under Manually enter insider codes; a new window will open
  • Type company name, e.g. General Electric, into search box; click Starts with
  • Copy and paste the company's GVKEY back into the Company Codes box on the main WRDS search page
  • Enter multiple codes by leaving a single space between them
  • Leave all other boxes in this step as is

Step Three: Variables

  • In Identifying Information check Company Name and CUSIP
  • In Income Statement Items check SALE -- Sales/Turnover (Net) (You may select additional data items)

Step Four: Output

  • Choose Tab-delimited text (*.txt) format
  • Leave all other boxes in this step as is
  • Click Submit Query 
  • Data Request Summary window will open
  • Right mouse click on the highlighted file name
  • Choose Save Target As option
  • Save as a .txt file to your computer
  • Open file in Excel
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