Guides on reading SEC filings, understanding insider transactions, decoding financial statements, and getting the most out of public EDGAR data.
SEC filings are the most reliable primary source for evaluating any public company. Here's a practical framework for using EDGAR data to build a research foundation before investing.
Goodwill is created when a company pays more for an acquisition than the fair value of its net assets. Large goodwill balances carry real impairment risk that balance sheet readers need to understand.
Each year, hundreds of companies file with the SEC for the first time — through IPOs, direct listings, SPACs, and other routes to public registration. Here's how to find and research them.
Not all red flags in SEC filings are obvious. Knowing what to look for — from auditor changes to related-party transactions — can help you avoid costly investing mistakes.
ASC 606 standardized how public companies recognize revenue across industries. Understanding the basics helps you interpret revenue figures in SEC filings more accurately.
Cluster buying — multiple insiders independently purchasing company stock within a short window — is considered a stronger signal than any single insider purchase. Here's why.
Shareholders' equity is the residual interest in a company's assets after deducting all liabilities. Understanding its components reveals how a company has financed itself and used its profits.
EDGAR's filing archive extends back to the early 1990s for most large companies. Here's how to use historical filings to reconstruct a company's full business history.
The independent auditor's report in every 10-K contains an opinion on the reliability of the financial statements. Most are clean — but when they're not, it matters enormously.
Contingent liabilities are potential obligations that may or may not materialize. They don't always appear on the balance sheet — but they can have major financial consequences.
Every company registered with the SEC has a unique CIK number. Understanding CIK numbers makes it easier to navigate EDGAR and pull accurate data for any public filer.
Debt-to-equity ratio measures financial leverage by comparing total debt to shareholders' equity. Here's how to calculate it from a 10-K and what different levels mean.
Earnings per share is one of the most widely reported financial metrics. Understanding the difference between basic and diluted EPS — and its limitations — is essential for informed analysis.
Many analysts consider the cash flow statement the most reliable of the three financial statements. Here's how to read it from a 10-K and what each section tells you.
Every institutional investment manager with more than $100 million in AUM must disclose their equity holdings quarterly via Form 13F. Here's how to read and use these filings.
Working capital measures a company's short-term financial health. It's calculated directly from the balance sheet in every 10-K and tells you whether a company can cover its near-term obligations.
Every public company's financial performance is freely available through SEC EDGAR. Using it systematically lets you build a rigorous competitive analysis from primary sources.
Large companies often operate multiple business segments with very different financial profiles. Segment reporting in the 10-K breaks down where revenue and profit actually come from.
Executive pay is disclosed in detail in annual proxy statements and 10-K filings. Here's how to find it, read it, and evaluate whether it's aligned with shareholder interests.
Cash is the most liquid asset on a corporate balance sheet. Knowing how to interpret cash levels — and trends in cash — gives you insight into a company's financial flexibility.