Company Name: As Registered with Registrar of Companies functioning under The Companies Act, 1956. Only one company can hold this name at any one time.

Registration #: Companies are given their number on the day  they  are incorporated. Numbers are unique and may not be used again even if  the company is struck off the register.

Date of Incorporation: The day Registrar Of Companies  recognised  the company's existence and issues a Certificate of Incorporation - in effect the company's 'birth certificate'.

Legal Status: There are 3 main company types, Public Limited, Private Limited and Limited by Guarantee - all have different filing requirements.

Registered Office: The legal address of the company to which  Registrar Of  Companies  will write. An appointed representative  of  the  company should  always be available here to receive mail. The Registered  Office may  be  the main trading address for the company, or it  could  be the address of the company's accountants, solicitors or associated company.

Previous Names: Whilst a company may change its names as often as  it likes, the registration number always stays the same. Up  to 5 name changes with dates are shown in the report.

Business Activities: These are the trading activities of the  company, they  are described at incorporation on the Memorandum and  Articles  of Association and more specifically in the Directors Report accompanying a set of Annual Accounts.

Bankers:  A company is not required by law to state who its bankers are, where  bank details are given, data is normally derived from additional research.

Board of Directors: Directors manage a company for the shareholders. A company must have at least Two Directors. Directors may also be shareholders.

Parent Company: The company that directly holds over 51% of ordinary shares in the subject company.

Authorised  Capital: The total capital that could be invested into the company by its owners.

Issued Capital:  The total number of shares issued i.e. the share capital that is currently invested in the  company by share  type. Different shares carry different values and rights.

Major Shareholders: These are the owners of the company. Shareholders can  be people or other companies or businesses. If a company owns  over 51%  of the issued ordinary shares, it is the parent company.  Companies owning less than 51% are associated companies.

Subsidiaries: Upto 10 companies in which the Holding Company has more than a 51% stake.

Financial Figures: Up to two years figures are displayed in columns, so it is easy to view the trends from one year to the next. The majority of accounts  relate  to  a 12 month accounting period. Documents used in analysis are a) Directors' report; b) Auditors report; c) Profit &  Loss account; d) Balance Sheet; e) Notes to the accounts.

Scale: Figures in the accounts are rounded up and may be stated in Units, Thousands, Lakhs or occasionally Crores. 

Turnover: Total invoiced sales for the period.

Profit Before Tax: The residue (or loss) after ALL expenses (wages, rent, raw materials etc.) have been subtracted from turnover.

Profit After Tax: Profits after taxation has been levied.

Exports: That part of turnover which was sold overseas.

Balance Sheet Extracts: The balance sheet looks at two financial aspect ASSETS - which the company owns, and LIABILITIES - which  the  company owes.  Whilst  the Profit & Loss account is the culmination of a years activities, the Balance Sheet looks at the company Assets & Liabilities on one day. Figures in the accounts are rounded up and may be stated  in Units, Thousands, Lakhs or occasionally Crores.

# of Employees: The total number of staff.

Investments:  Long Term investments in Group Companies or other businesses.

Reserves: i.e. Profit & Loss, Revaluation etc.

Paid Up Capital: The total amount of money paid for shares.

Auditor: The Name & Address of Auditor who has audited the company accounts.