SIC/NAICS codes: The federal government classifies manufacturing and service industries by assigning SIC and NAICS code numbers based on their primary business activities. These numbers allow similar companies to be grouped for comparison purposes. Finding these codes is an important first step in doing any industry research.
Ticker symbol: A company's ticker symbol (available if they are publicly traded), is a unique identifier that, like a SIC or NAICS code, is useful when researching a company.