To quickly compare a company with its competitors, we choose Peers & Valuation -> Peer Analysis on its Overview page. Alternatively, we can type in the company in the search bar and continue with the shortcut PEERS.
We can choose between a set of pre-prepared templates of data columns to compare the companies or create our own table:
To sort the companies by a column, we simply click on the field with the column's name. For both columns and rows, "drag and drop" function also works to customize the order.
To add a company to the table we use the Add Security window, and to remove it move the cursor over the company name and click on the red "x" that appears.
Edit Peers can also be used to add or remove companies from the table. When choosing this option, the database provides us with a list of the closest competitors where we can tick or untick them.
To add a new column (a new data to compare companies) we can use the Add Column window in which we type the information we want to see.
Alternatively, by clicking the icon on the right side of the marked window (Launch Data Item Library) a list of all (several thousand) indicators by category is opened.
We are interested in a year-over-year revenue growth for Microsoft and its competitors for the last 5 years - that means we are looking for a time series.
We could add the time series to an existing table, but let us create a new empty template for the example purposes (see below):
By clicking on the Launch Data Item Library button a window opens, in which we search for "revenue" and click on the desired option out of the offered ones. DO NOT click on Add yet (because we first need to change the settings to actually import a time series). We could also find the data item on the left by searching through the categories.
As we could see, Refinitiv Workspace helps us choosing the right data item by printing definitions for each one when clicked on. To set the data to series, we tick the Series option on the right side and then adjust the settings to show the last 5 fiscal years.
We also tick the Change option under Quick Functions and leave it in percentages and compared to the previous year. Now we are set to click on Add next to the data item's name and then OK on the bottom of the window.
We obtain the following output, where FY0 means the last fiscal year, FY-1 one fiscal year before that etc.:
Some additional useful options (transposing the table or adding statistics, such as quartiles, means and so on) can be found under the settings.
Customized table properties can be saved as a template for future use. Later we can quickly access the same properties for a table of any company's peer analysis.
The table can be exported to Excel, which is done using the now already familiar button. We select Export All as Values, which is most probably the right option for study-related use.
However, if we want to update the exported data in the future, include additional companies to the table and such, we use the Export All as Formulas option. In order for this to work, we need to be signed in to Refinitiv Workspace on the computer and have the Excel Add-in, which means that the data downloaded this way will be of no use at home.
