The SEC (Securities & Exchange Commision) is the body that oversees all US stock exchanges.
Companies filing with the SEC :
- U.S. publicly-traded parent companies
- international companies traded on a U.S. stock exchange
The report you will find most useful is called a 10-K. This is an official audited document filed annually by a publicly traded company with the SEC. This report is the basis for a company's annual report and often serves as a company's annual report. It is also the source of the financial statements found in our databases and is often the most current source of financial information.
The 10-K includes a business overview, risk factors, legal proceedings, selected financial data, management's discussion/analysis, corporate structure and subsidiaries, financial statements and footnotes, auditor's report, directors, executive officers and corporate governance, executive compensation, and more. Often you may find segment, market share information, key brands, etc.
EDGAR (the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system) is a database which performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Please note that not all documents filed with SEC are available on EDGAR.
In addition, check Investor Relations pages on a company's website to locate its SEC filings.
Researching Public Companies through EDGAR