Glossary · SEC Filings
Form 10-K
Form 10-K is the annual report a public company files after each fiscal year ends. It contains audited financial statements and the most complete description available of the business, its competition and its risk factors.
How to read it
"Business" (Item 1) and "Risk Factors" (Item 1A) in Part I are the best introduction to any company, and more accurate than any secondhand summary.
There is no standalone 10-Q for the fourth quarter. Q4 numbers are contained within the full-year data in the 10-K.
The filing deadline is 60 days after the fiscal year ends (for large companies).
Common pitfalls
- The 10-K is not the same thing as the glossy "Annual Report" sent to shareholders. The latter is a marketing document; the former is the legally required filing.
On FinDog
On each stock page, the fourth-quarter earnings press release and the 10-K are merged into a single "Q4 / Full Year" period for that fiscal year.
See it on a stock page →Related terms
- Form 10-QForm 10-Q is the formal quarterly report a public company files with the SEC for each fiscal quarter except the fourth. It contains complete unaudited financial statements, management's discussion and analysis, and updates to risk factors.
- Fiscal Year and Fiscal QuartersA fiscal year is a company's own accounting year, and it does not have to match the calendar year. Nvidia's fiscal year ends in late January, Apple's in late September and Microsoft's at the end of June, so the same calendar quarter goes by different names at different companies.
- MD&AMD&A is a standard section of the 10-Q and 10-K in which management explains in words why the period's results changed: which businesses grew, which costs rose, how cash flow and capital spending are being managed, and what risks it sees.
Glossary entries are for investor education only and are not investment advice. About & Methodology · Disclaimer