Researching Companies: Resources & Tips: Who is EDGAR ???

The list of the SEC's many form filings is extensive.  Some of the popular, frequently cited forms :

• Forms 3,4, & 5 (statements of beneficial ownership [or changes thereto] of securities by corporate insiders.
• Form 144 (notice of proposed sale of securities).
  
• Form 8-K (current information, including preliminary earnings announcements).
  
• Form 10-Q (unaudited annual financial statement).
  
• Form 10-K (audited annual financial statement).
  

 A comprehensive full list of all SEC document Forms & Schedules may be found on their web site.

EDGAR is the electronic capture  database for all public corporate filings & disclosure submissions as required by the Securities Exchange Commission [SEC].  Translate:  Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis & Retrieval.

 Since 1934, the SEC has required periodic public company reportings of financial, operation, and other disclosure obligatons through a multitude of forms and documents. Starting 1984 and finalized by 1996, the SEC moved this reporting & capture process to a searchable electronic files system covering publicly owned companies/corportations, helping investors and researchers, among others, to gain valuable financial insight.

Thinking (?) of exploring search using EDGAR here are some help points of consideration before you begin.  Given EDGAR's vast amount of collected information on public companies/corporations you may strategize a search in several ways:

• Search a company by the company's specific name (ie, International Business Machines) rather than its more popularly known name, (IBM).  Other choice options include: ticker symbol [TS] or Central Index Key (CIK) number.
  

• You can search all SEC companies in a particular state.
  

• Search companies using a specific Standard Industrial Classification [SIC] code number.  Example:  Entering 2833 in the SIC box retrieves SEC companies falling into the SIC classification category known as "Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products."
  

• Searches maybe limited by date coverage, or by Form filing type, (10-K).
  

• Mutual fund disclosures may also be found in EDGAR.
  

• Don't know an SIC code for a particular business activity?  The SEC's site allows you to browse the Standard Industrial Classification's classification hierarchy schema for a defined business, manufacturing or industrial activity with its corresponding 4 digit code number.  You may also enter that word phrase in a web browser and find multiple sites for searching SIC numbers.
  

Browsing the document, Researching Public Companies Through EDGAR:  A Guide for Investors, is highly advised; it poses questions & answers about public company research.

Researching Public Companies Through EDGAR:  A Guide for Investors

This guide gives you tips an using EDGAR and other information about researching public companies.

Beginners' Guide to Financial Statements

If you're not an accountant, a quick overview covering basic appects of financial statements in terms of what they are.

Central Index Key [CIK] finder tool.

The SEC's computer system assigns a CIK number to accurately identify corporations and individual people who have filed disclosure/form documents as required.  You can use the CIK to accurately search EDGAR  filings without worry of company name variations or variations of a person's name.  CIKs are unique identifiers and may be combined, in  search, with company's name for precise results.