Research Guides: Company Information: SEC Filings, Annual Reports

Background Information

From Investor.gov (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

Form 10-K (Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934)

"A report filed to the SEC by public companies that includes the company's history, audited financial statements, a discussion of products and services, a review of the organization and its operations, and a discussion of the company's major markets."

Annual Report to Shareholders (ARS). Not a required SEC filing.

"The annual report to shareholders is a document used by most public companies to disclose corporate information to their shareholders. It is usually a state-of-the-company report, including an opening letter from the Chief Executive Officer, financial data, results of operations, market segment information, new product plans, subsidiary activities, and research and development activities on future programs. Reporting companies must send annual reports to their shareholders when they hold annual meetings to elect directors. Under the proxy rules, reporting companies are required to post their proxy materials, including their annual reports, on their company websites.

"The annual report on Form 10-K, which must be filed with the SEC, may contain more detailed information about the company’s financial condition than the annual report and will include the annual financial statements of the company. Companies sometimes elect to send their annual report on Form 10-K to their shareholders in lieu of, or in addition to, providing shareholders with a separate annual report to shareholders."

SEC Filings via EDGAR

U.S. publicly-traded companies and foreign companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges must file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR (the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system) "performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)." Note: Not all documents filed with the SEC are available via EDGAR.

EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval)
EDGAR is the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) electronic database of corporate filings. All publicly-traded companies in the U.S. are required to file Annual Reports, Quarterly Reports, Proxy Statements, and other disclosure documents electronically with the EDGAR system.

Selected SEC Help Pages

How to Research Public Companies

How to Read a 10-K

SEC Fast Answers

Forms List