EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, collects, validates, indexes, accepts, and forwards submissions by companies and others who file a variety of reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). One of the most popular and data-rich reports is the 10-K report.
10-K Reports are annual reports that all domestic publicly held companies (with stock to trade) must file with the SEC. These reports are public information, and provide a comprehensive overview of the business. Their purpose is to inform investors and potential investors of the true financial and operating condition of the company and to inform their investing decisions. 10-K reports contain a wealth of useful information in addition to the financial data. Note that some foreign companies operating in the U.S. file a similar report, the 20-F, which can also be found online in EDGAR.
Click here to learn how to search the EDGAR database and here to learn more about the various types of company reports. For the types of topics / questions that you can research using EDGAR reports, click here.