Morningstar Library Edition Is now Morningstar Investment Research Center.

The name change also includes a new interface to the database It’s not just about mutual funds – but it also has stock research and options data.  It provides industry-level information and analysis and stresses investment education.

Some of the enhancements include:

Industry Reports
The vendor added industry and sector returns to the database in 2007–and now they’ve added Industry Reports. Updated quarterly by Morningstar stock analysts specializing in the industry, these reports provide investors with an invaluable industry wide backdrop to use when evaluating a particular company or set of companies. The Industry Reports are accessible via the Industries tab.

Investment Primers
The vendor has created several reports that provide nuts-and-bolts information about some popular yet misunderstood specialized investments. These reports cover options, exchange-traded funds, and closed-end funds. They are accessible via the Help & Education tab.

Simplified Search Function
Morningstar has improved the search functionality for finding an individual report. From the top left-hand corner of the database’s home page, users can type in a partial name and/or ticker and they will see a simple drop-down menu from which to choose the security they’re interested in. Then they can just click the Get Report button.

Wow Factor – Hidden gems that you can find in the stock details on Morningstar Investment Research Center. Provided by Sumita Ghosh, Associate Product Manager

In this example, we’ll drill down from a broad industry level.

Let’s pick one stock from the Discount Stores industry. Go to Screeners in Morningstar Investment Research Center. Click on Stocks, then under the drop-down menu, select “industry = discount stores.” Click Okay to view the results.

The results page will show an alphabetical list of all discount store stocks or public companies. You could sort this list by market cap (or the size of the companies) by clicking on the column header. When you do, you’ll see that Wal-Mart WMT jumps to the top of the list. We’ll use Wal-Mart for our example.

When you click on the name you will be taken directly to the Quote page for Wal-Mart, where you’ll find basic price information, P/E ratio, market cap, and price chart for the day. If you wish to get a better look at the stock prices over time, just click on the price chart and it will take you directly to the Charts section. In this section, you can create customized charts based on historical prices, and you can also chart much of the same fundamental data that analysts use to value Wal-Mart.

Now let’s say you want to find out more about various valuation measures to determine whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued. You can click on the Valuation Ratios tab, where you will be able to compare Wal-Mart’s ratios to its industry average and to the market.

Data junkies can take things even further and view the raw numbers behind these ratios. Just click on the Financial Statements tab. In this section, you can view the accounting statements that all public companies have to file with the SEC. This section presents the material in a simple and easy-to-read format. And if you are interested in viewing the actual statements that are filed with the SEC, you can gain access to them from the SEC Filings tab.

And this is only a portion of the stock data available in Morningstar Investment Research Center. So when your users ask about stocks, direct them to Morningstar for answers.