Different SEC filings serve different purposes. Understand which filings matter most and when to read them.
Public companies must make various disclosures to the SEC. Knowing the different filing types helps you find the right information quickly.
The most comprehensive disclosure. Filed annually (60-90 days after fiscal year end). Contains audited financials, business description, risk factors, and management discussion. This is the primary source for deep fundamental research.
A less detailed version of the 10-K filed for each of the first three fiscal quarters (40-45 days after quarter end). Financials are unaudited but provide more frequent updates.
Filed to announce major events that shareholders should know about:
Companies must file within 4 business days of the triggering event. 8-Ks are often the most timely source of breaking news.
Insider buying is often viewed as a positive signal (insiders buy for only one reason — they think the stock will rise). Selling can have many reasons.
Filed when an investor acquires 5% or more of a company's shares. 13D implies active intent; 13G is passive.
The initial registration statement for a company going public. Contains detailed business and financial information. The S-1 is the primary document for evaluating an IPO.
Filed before annual shareholder meetings. Contains:
Annual report for foreign private issuers listed in the US. Similar to a 10-K but may use different accounting standards (IFRS).
Quarterly/current report for foreign issuers (equivalent of 10-Q and 8-K combined).
Quarterly filing by institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets. Shows their holdings at quarter end — useful for tracking what major investors own, but lagged by up to 45 days.
SharesLocker automatically ingests 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K filings, extracts the financial changes using XBRL data, and presents them with direct citations. Rather than manually tracking filings, you receive verified change alerts when material developments are filed.