Understanding Companies vs Securities

If you're new to financial data, the terms company and security are often used interchangeably—but they represent two very different concepts. Understanding the distinction is essential when working with the Intrinio API, as many endpoints are organized around one or the other.

In simple terms:

A company is the legal business entity that reports financial results.
A security is a tradable financial instrument issued by that company.

Think of it this way: a company owns the business, while securities are what investors buy and sell.

What is a Company?

A company is the organization that conducts business operations, files regulatory reports, and publishes financial statements.

Examples include:

Apple Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Company-level information includes:

Company profile
Financial statements
SEC filings
Fundamental data
Industry classifications
Corporate news
ESG information

Most accounting and business-related data belongs to the company because it reflects the organization's overall financial performance.

Example:

Apple reports:

Revenue
Net Income
Assets
Liabilities
Cash Flow

These numbers describe Apple Inc., not any individual stock.

What is a Security?

A security is a financial instrument issued by a company that investors can trade.

Common examples include:

Common stock
Preferred stock
ADRs (American Depositary Receipts)
Warrants
Rights
ETFs (not company-issued, but still securities)
Certain classes of shares

Each security has its own characteristics, such as:

Ticker symbol
Exchange
Trading status
Price history
Dividends
Splits
Market capitalization
Volume
Options

Examples:

Apple has a common stock security:

Company: Apple Inc.
Security: AAPL

Alphabet has multiple publicly traded securities:

GOOGL (Class A)
GOOG (Class C)

Both securities represent ownership in the same company but have different voting rights and separate market prices.

One Company Can Have Multiple Securities

Many companies issue more than one security.

Examples include:

Company	Securities
Alphabet	GOOGL, GOOG
Berkshire Hathaway	BRK.A, BRK.B
Ford	Common shares, preferred shares (historically)

Although these securities all belong to the same company, each has its own:

Price
Volume
Dividends
Trading history
Exchange listing

However, they generally share the same:

Financial statements
SEC filings
Revenue
Earnings
Balance sheet

How Intrinio Organizes the Data

Intrinio separates company information from security information because they represent different types of financial data.

Company endpoints

Use company endpoints when you need information about the business itself.

Examples include:

Company profile
Fundamentals
Financial statements
SEC filings
Company news
Public float
Daily company metrics

Security endpoints

Use security endpoints when you need market-related information.

Examples include:

Historical prices
Real-time prices
Quotes
Dividends
Splits
Technical indicators
Short interest
Trading status

This separation keeps business fundamentals independent from market trading activity and mirrors how financial markets are structured.

How Companies and Securities Relate

The relationship is straightforward:

Company
    │
    ├── Security A (Common Stock)
    ├── Security B (Preferred Stock)
    └── Security C (ADR)

The company provides the underlying business information.

Each security provides its own market and trading information.

Example: Apple

Company

Apple Inc.

Business data:

Annual revenue
Quarterly earnings
SEC filings
Industry
Headquarters
Financial ratios

Security

AAPL

Market data:

Current price
Historical prices
Trading volume
Dividends
Stock splits
Technical indicators
Options chain

Both are connected—but they answer different questions.

When Should You Use Each?

Use company data when you're asking questions like:

How much revenue did the business generate?
What are the company's financial statements?
What SEC filings has the company submitted?
Which industry does the company belong to?

Use security data when you're asking:

What is the stock price?
What was today's trading volume?
Has the stock split?
What dividends were paid?
What technical indicators are available?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't every company have a security?

Some companies are privately held and do not issue publicly traded securities. Intrinio's market data focuses on publicly traded securities.

Why do some companies have multiple tickers?

A company may issue multiple classes of shares, ADRs, preferred shares, or other tradable securities. Each is represented as a separate security but maps back to the same company.

Can multiple securities share the same financial statements?

Yes. Financial statements belong to the company, so multiple securities issued by the same company generally reference the same underlying financial reporting.

Should I search by company or ticker?

If you're looking for financial statements, SEC filings, or company fundamentals, start with the company.

If you're looking for prices, dividends, trading history, or market activity, start with the security.

Summary

A helpful way to remember the difference is:

Company = the business
Security = the investment

Companies generate financial results and file reports.

Securities represent ownership or other financial interests in those companies and have their own trading characteristics.

Keeping this distinction in mind will help you choose the correct Intrinio API endpoints and better understand how financial data is organized throughout the platform.