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SEC filings, explained.

Public companies disclose an enormous amount, in documents built for lawyers. These guides show what each filing contains, how to read it fast, and how to turn it into a research signal, with live examples from SignalX data.

What is a 10-K?What does Form 4 code P mean?How do 13F filings work?13D vs 13G?Which 8-Ks are red flags?

Start here

Four guides, about half an hour, and you can read any filing on EDGAR.

  1. 01How to Read a 10-K: The 5 Sections That Actually Matter9 min
  2. 0210-K vs 10-Q vs 8-K: Which SEC Filing Tells You What7 min
  3. 03Form 4 Transaction Codes Explained: P, S, A, M, F and More7 min
  4. 04How 13F Filings Work (and How to Use the 45-Day Lag)8 min

SEC Filings 101

How to Read a 10-K: The 5 Sections That Actually Matter

A 10-K runs 100 pages or more, but the signal sits in five sections. Here is what each one tells you, the order to read them in, and how to spot what changed from last year.

9 min readLive demo

10-K vs 10-Q vs 8-K: Which SEC Filing Tells You What

The annual 10-K, the quarterly 10-Q and the event-driven 8-K do different jobs. Here is what each contains, when it is due, and which one to read for the question you have.

7 min readLive demo

Events

8-K Item Codes Explained: What Each Triggering Event Means

An 8-K tells you what happened before you read a word, through its item numbers. Here is every 8-K item, how often each one is filed, and which ones tend to move a stock.

8 min readLive demo

8-K Red Flags: Restatements, Auditor Changes and Delisting Notices

A handful of rare 8-K items signal real trouble: a restatement, a new auditor, a delisting notice or a bankruptcy. Here is what each means, how often it happens and what to check next.

8 min readLive demo

Insider Trading

Form 4 Transaction Codes Explained: P, S, A, M, F and More

Every insider trade on Form 4 carries a one-letter code. Only one of them, P, is an open-market purchase. Here is what every code means and how often each one appears.

7 min read

How to Spot Insider Buying Signals That Actually Matter

Not all insider buying is equal. Cluster buys, purchase size, who is buying and the price they pay separate a real signal from routine noise. Here is a six-question test, with a live example.

8 min readLive demo

When Insider Selling Matters: 10b5-1 Plans, Form 144 and Red Flags

Insiders sell far more than they buy, and most sales mean little. Here is how 10b5-1 trading plans work, what Form 144 tells you, and the selling patterns that do deserve attention.

7 min read

Institutional Holdings

How 13F Filings Work (and How to Use the 45-Day Lag)

Every quarter, institutional managers with $100 million or more in US stocks disclose their holdings on Form 13F-HR. Here is what the filing includes, what it leaves out, and how to read it without being fooled.

8 min readLive demo

How to Track What Hedge Funds Are Buying, Without Being Fooled by 13F Data

Following famous investors through their 13F filings works only if you pick the right funds, compare share counts and look for consensus. Here is a five-step method with this quarter's data.

8 min readLive demo

Activists

Schedule 13D vs 13G: Activist Stakes vs Passive Ownership

Anyone who buys more than 5% of a public company must say so on Schedule 13D or 13G. Which one they file tells you whether they plan to push for change. Here are the rules, the deadlines and what activists actually ask for.

8 min readLive demo

SEC filing glossary

The terms these guides use, in one sentence each.

10-K
The audited annual report a US public company files with the SEC, due 60 to 90 days after its fiscal year ends.
10-Q
The unaudited quarterly report for each of the first three fiscal quarters, due 40 to 45 days after quarter end.
8-K
A current report filed within four business days of a material event, organized by numbered items such as 2.02 for earnings.
Form 4
The report an officer, director or 10% owner files within two business days of a change in their holdings of the company's stock.
Code P
The Form 4 transaction code for an open-market or private purchase, the main signal of insider conviction.
Cluster buy
Several officers or directors buying their company's stock on the open market within a few days of each other.
Rule 10b5-1 plan
A pre-arranged trading plan an insider adopts in advance, with a cooling-off period of 90 to 120 days for officers and directors.
Form 144
A notice of a proposed sale of restricted or control securities by an affiliate, required above 5,000 shares or $50,000 in three months.
13F-HR
The quarterly holdings report institutional managers with $100 million or more in US securities file within 45 days of quarter end.
Smart money consensus
The number of tracked funds that opened or added to the same stock in a quarter, measured by share count rather than dollar value.
Schedule 13D
The disclosure filed within five business days by an investor who owns more than 5% of a company and may seek to influence it.
Schedule 13G
The shorter ownership disclosure for passive investors and institutions that own more than 5% without control intent.
Item 4.02
The 8-K item a company files when past financial statements should no longer be relied on, usually ahead of a restatement.
MD&A
Management's Discussion and Analysis, Item 7 of the 10-K, where management explains results, margins, liquidity and outlook.

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SignalX reads every filing these guides describe, the moment it lands on EDGAR, and turns it into summaries, alerts and answers.

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