Securities Law

"EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, is the primary system for companies and others submitting documents under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, and the Investment Company Act of 1940. 

Containing millions of company and individual filings, EDGAR benefits investors, corporations, and the U.S. economy overall by increasing the efficiency, transparency, and fairness of the securities markets." 

All companies, foreign and domestic, are required to file registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms electronically through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) system. 

The SEC's website provides information on how to use EDGAR to research public companies:

• Using EDGAR to Research Investments
• Full-Text Search Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The EDGAR database also is available through the following legal research platforms:

• Bloomberg Law 
• Lexis
• Westlaw

Annual reports: Produced for shareholders, these include a balance sheet (the financial picture at a given moment: assets, cash, IOU's, inventory, property); an income statement (the year's financial events: what profits and losses and from what sources); a statement of change in financial position; and review of new income per share of stock covering a ten-year period.

8-K: Irregular documents signaling "unscheduled material changes" such as name changes or bankruptcies; also include preliminary earnings announcements. How to Read an 8-K.

10-C: The "8-K" for over-the-counter (OTC) companies.

10-K: These annual reports include information about products, services, markets, methods of distribution, estimated cost of research, total sales, and net income for each line of business; the per-share earnings and dividends, and reasons for substantial changes therein; properties, parents and subsidiaries, legal proceedings pending, and more. Reports may be obtained from the SEC. How to Read a 10-K.

10-Q: Although not audited, these quarterly reports update the 10-Ks three times per year.

Proxy Statements: Designed for shareholders who cannot attend annual meetings, the statements may include biographical information about officers, or information concerning any pending issues to be brought to vote.

Registration Statement: These statements provide current information filed in anticipation of issuing stock.