<![CDATA[Web sleuthing – Part 2 – Archive.org]]>Archive.org allows you to look at old snapshots of websites.  It’s a very powerful tool and free to use.  This can be useful to try to figure out the ownership history of a company, subsidiary, or a website.  Websites generally contain “about us” pages and contact information such as email addresses.

Archive.org can also be useful to look at how a company’s strategy has changed over time.  For example, I noticed that Coach (COH) no longer offers handbags with very large logos (the extremely large C monogram, the large horse carriage logo, etc.).

Archive.org can also be interesting to try to find old annual reports, investor presentations, etc. etc.  You can also look at the web design of a webpage to see how promotional management is (e.g. how much they paid their web designer to make a beautiful website).  Sometimes management will make drastic changes to shareholder communications.  For example, the new management of Contango Oil and Gas removed all of Ken Peak’s excellent investor presentations.

*Disclosure: I am short COH via put options.  No position in MCF.

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