The form name on an SEC filing tells you the kind of news inside, and on an 8-K the item number names the event. Four forms made up about 7 in 10 of the filings StockTitan listed from October 1 to 30, 2026: Form 4, the 8-K, the 6-K and Form 144.
The short answer. Read the form name first, then the item number on an 8-K or the transaction code on a Form 4. Form 4 insider reports alone were more than 1 in 3 of the filings StockTitan listed in October 2026. Knowing the form tells anyone, owner or not, what kind of thing a company or its insiders just did without reading the whole document.
Three SEC filing deadlines worth knowing
Form 4
2 business days
After an insider buys or sells company shares
Form 8-K
4 business days
After a big company event, such as a new chief executive
Schedule 13D
5 business days
After an owner with control intent, or one who cannot use the shorter 13G, passes 5%
Sec.01Types of SEC filings and what each one means
Every filing on StockTitan shows its form name, such as 8-K or Form 4. Find that name in the table below to learn what the filing is and what to read first.
The table lists the forms in number and then letter order, so a name is quick to find. A form name that ends in /A, such as 4/A or 8-K/A, is an amendment. It corrects or adds to an earlier filing of the same form. The SEC is the U.S. markets regulator, and every filing also sits in EDGAR, its free public database.
A short registration statement that lets an established company, or holders of its shares, sell securities, often over up to three years.
S-4
The registration of securities a company issues in a merger or an exchange offer.
Schedule 13D
The detailed report of a stake above 5% and the owner's plans, filed by owners with control intent and by owners who cannot use the 13G.
Schedule 13G
A shorter report of a stake above 5% from a big institution, such as a bank or fund manager, a passive investor or an owner the rules exempt.
Source: the SEC forms and rules linked in each section below.
Form 4 alone was more than 1 in 3 of the filings listed on this site in October 2026, with 9,030 of them. Insiders report most trades within two business days, and each report is its own filing.
The SEC filings StockTitan listed most, October 1 to 30, 2026Form 4 insider trades led with 9,030 filings, about twice as many as the 8-K, the next most common form.Figures from StockTitan live SEC filings feed, October 1 to 30, 2026, as of October 30, 2026.Show the data
Sec.02Form 4, Form 3, Form 5 and Form 144 insider filings
Insider forms show what a company's officers, directors and biggest owners hold and trade. Form 4 reports a trade that already happened.Form 144 says an insider plans to sell.
The SEC's investor bulletin on Forms 3, 4 and 5 counts officers, directors and owners of more than 10% of a class of shares as insiders. A new insider files Form 3 within 10 days.
Most later trades go on Form 4 within two business days. Form 5 is due 45 days after the fiscal year ends, and only for trades that skipped a Form 4.
In a Form 4, read the transaction code first. P is a purchase on an exchange or from another person, and S is a sale on an exchange or to another person. Codes such as A for a grant, M for an option exercise and F for shares kept back to pay tax are not purchases or sales with other investors. An option exercise turns an option into shares. Our Form 4 codes guide lists them all.
Form 144 is a notice of a proposed sale. Under Rule 144, it goes in when the seller places the sell order with a broker. The SEC's Rule 144 guide says an affiliate needs one to sell more than 5,000 shares or more than $50,000 worth in three months. An affiliate is someone with control over the company, such as an officer, director or large owner.
The form also asks for the date of any Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, a plan the seller set up in advance with fixed instructions. The adoption date shows when the seller set the plan's instructions. For an officer or director, the Form 4 that follows shows whether the sale happened and at what price.
Sec.03Form 8-K items and what each one means
An 8-K reports a big event, usually within four business days. The item numbers tell you what kind of event it is, so read them first.
The Form 8-K instructions list each event as a numbered item. A filing can carry several. In October 2026, about 3 in 10 8-Ks on StockTitan carried Item 2.02, the quarterly results. Most also carried Item 9.01, which only lists the attached documents, such as the press release.
Share of 8-K reports listing each item, October 1 to 30, 2026About 3 in 10 October 8-Ks carried Item 2.02, the quarterly results, and most carried Item 9.01 for the attached documents.Figures from StockTitan live SEC filings feed, 8-K reports, October 1 to 30, 2026, as of October 30, 2026.Show the data
Category
Value
9.01 Attached documents
82%
7.01 News shared with all investors at once
31%
2.02 Quarterly results
30%
8.01 Other events
25%
1.01 New major agreement
18%
5.02 Directors and officers come or go
18%
Items 2.02 and 7.01 are furnished. That is the SEC's word for a report that does not carry the same legal liability as a filed one under Section 18 of the Exchange Act. Item 8.01 is optional. A company uses it for any news it thinks shareholders should know.
An 8-K/A changes an earlier 8-K. A common one adds the financial statements of a business the company bought. Item 9.01 lets those arrive up to 71 calendar days after the first 8-K was due. To see one kind of event, open the live feed for that item, such as Item 5.02 for changes of directors and officers. Our 8-K guide goes deeper.
Show the data
Section of the form
Each item and what it means
Section 1, the business
1.01 a major contract, loan or deal was signed; 1.02 a major contract ended early; 1.03 bankruptcy or receivership, when a court puts someone else in charge; 1.04 a mine safety order; 1.05 a serious cybersecurity incident, due four business days after the company judges it material.
Section 2, financial news
2.01 a purchase or sale of a business closed; 2.02 quarterly or yearly results, usually the earnings release; 2.03 new debt or a similar duty to pay; 2.04 a debt became due sooner or grew, for example after a missed payment; 2.05 a plan to close sites, leave a business or cut jobs, with its cost; 2.06 a write-down, a cut in the value of assets on the books.
Section 3, shares and listing
3.01 an exchange warning or a possible loss of listing; 3.02 shares sold privately without registration; 3.03 an important change to the rights of shareholders.
Section 4, auditors and accounts
4.01 an auditor resigned, was dismissed, declined to stay on or was newly hired; 4.02 earlier financial statements should no longer be relied on.
Section 5, control, leaders and votes
5.01 someone new controls the company; 5.02 a director or top officer joined or left, or a pay deal changed; 5.03 a change to the charter, the bylaws or the fiscal year; 5.04 employees briefly cannot trade company stock in their benefit plans; 5.05 a change or waiver of the code of ethics; 5.06 a shell company, one with no real business, now has one; 5.07 the results of a shareholder vote; 5.08 the date by which shareholders can nominate directors.
Section 6, asset-backed bonds, which are loans pooled and sold as bonds
6.01 facts and calculations about the bonds; 6.02 a new firm collects the loans or looks after the holders; 6.03 the extra backing that protects the bonds changed; 6.04 a payment due to holders was missed; 6.05 the loans behind an offering changed enough to update the facts; 6.06 how earlier pools of similar loans performed.
Section 7, Regulation FD
7.01 news the company shares with all investors at once, such as investor slides.
Section 8, other events
8.01 any other news the company wants shareholders to know.
Section 9, attachments
9.01 the list of documents attached to the filing.
Source: SEC Form 8-K, General Instructions and Items 1.01 to 9.01.
Sec.046-K and 20-F filings from foreign companies
Companies based outside the U.S. that list here use their own forms. The 6-K carries news they made public at home, and the 20-F is their annual report.
A 6-K is furnished promptly after the company makes the news public in its home market. Foreign companies that qualify as foreign private issuers file no 10-Q under Rule 13a-13. Many report their quarterly results on the 6-K instead. The 6-K was the third most common form on StockTitan in October 2026, with 2,158 filings.
The 20-F is due within four months after the fiscal year ends. It plays the role of the 10-K. Our 6-K guide covers what each one can hold.
Sec.05Schedule 13D, 13G and 13F ownership filings
Anyone who owns more than 5% of a company's shares must say so. A 13D reports the stake and the owner's plans in detail, and owners with control intent or who cannot use the 13G must file it. A 13G is a shorter report from big institutions, passive owners and some exempt owners.
The SEC shortened both deadlines in rules it adopted on October 10, 2023, as its fact sheet explains. A Schedule 13D is now due within five business days, down from 10 days. Each change to it is due within two business days.
In a 13D, read Item 4, Purpose of Transaction. It says what the owner plans, such as a merger, a sale of assets or a change to the board. Item 3 shows where the money came from. The full list of items is in the Schedule 13D form. A 13D on its own does not prove the owner wants control, because owners who cannot use the 13G file it too.
A Schedule 13G follows the type of owner. Big institutions that Rule 13d-1 lists, such as banks, brokers, insurers and registered fund managers, file within 45 days after the quarter in which they pass 5%. Owners the rules exempt follow the same clock. Other passive owners, those with no plan to influence the company, file within five business days. On StockTitan these appear as SCHEDULE 13D and SCHEDULE 13G, with /A for an update.
Form 13F comes from fund managers with $100 million or more in the stocks and similar securities the SEC lists for it, as the SEC's 13F FAQ explains. It is due within 45 days after each quarter ends, so the holdings it shows are already weeks old. It leaves out short positions, which are bets that a stock will fall, so it shows only part of a fund's holdings.
Filing
Who files
Deadline
Schedule 13D
An owner of more than 5% with control intent, or one who cannot use the 13G
Five business days
Schedule 13D/A
The same owner, after a material, meaning important, change
Two business days
Schedule 13G
Big institutions, called qualified institutional investors, and exempt investors
45 days after the end of the quarter in which the stake passes 5%
Schedule 13G
Other passive investors
Five business days
Schedule 13G/A
Any 13G filer, after a material change
45 days after the end of the quarter of the change, sooner for some large stakes
Source: SEC fact sheet, Modernization of Beneficial Ownership Reporting; the 13G deadlines apply from September 30, 2024.
Sec.06The 10-K annual report and the 10-Q quarterly report
The 10-K is a company's full report on its year. The 10-Q is the shorter update for each of the first three quarters. Bigger companies must file both sooner.
The Form 10-K and Form 10-Q instructions set the deadline by the company's filer status, which is ticked on the cover page of each report. Rule 12b-2 defines the classes. No 10-Q covers the fourth quarter, since the 10-K covers the full year.
Three parts of a 10-K do most of the work. Item 1A lists the risks the company sees. Item 7 is management's own account of the year, often called MD&A, short for Management's Discussion and Analysis. Item 8 holds the financial statements. Comparing this year's risk factors with last year's shows which risks are new. A 10-Q has the same pieces for one quarter, with MD&A in Item 2.
A company that cannot file on time sends a notice under SEC Rule 12b-25. It shows up as NT 10-K or NT 10-Q and is due one business day after the missed deadline. If the company meets the rule's conditions, a 10-K filed within 15 more calendar days, or a 10-Q within five, counts as on time. Our guides on how to read a 10-K and what changes in a 10-Q go further.
Filer status on the cover page
10-K due after the fiscal year ends
10-Q due after each quarter ends
Large accelerated filer
60 days
40 days
Accelerated filer
75 days
40 days
All other filers
90 days
45 days
Source: SEC Form 10-K, General Instruction A; SEC Form 10-Q, General Instruction A. The classes are defined in SEC Rule 12b-2.
Sec.07S-1, S-3, EFFECT and 424B filings for share and bond offerings
Shares or bonds sold to the public are registered first. The S-1 or S-3 is the registration, EFFECT says the SEC declared it effective, and a 424B gives the terms. The seller can be the company or people who already hold its shares.
The S-1 is the long registration, most often for an IPO, a company's first sale of shares to the public. A foreign company uses Form F-1 when no shorter form fits. Our S-1 guide walks through one. Established companies can use the shorter S-3 to register securities before a sale. Form S-3 asks for at least 12 calendar months of SEC reports. To sell its own new shares for cash under the main test, a company also needs $75 million or more of shares held by outside investors. Smaller companies can sell up to a third of the value of their shares held by outside investors in 12 months. The same form can register shares that existing holders want to sell.
Many S-3 filings are shelf registrations. The company registers shares or bonds now and sells them later, when it chooses. Under Rule 415, a shelf lasts up to three years. A shelf on its own sells nothing; the sale comes later with a 424B. Our S-3 shelf guide explains how companies use one.
EFFECT is a notice from the SEC staff. Since 2006, the staff has posted it on EDGAR the morning after it declares a registration statement effective, as the SEC's announcement explains. Registrations that take effect automatically by law get no EFFECT notice.
A 424B prospectus, the document that offers the securities to buyers, carries the terms of an actual offering. The number after the B names the paragraph of Rule 424(b) it is filed under. A 424B2 or 424B5 with a price is due by the second business day after the price is set or the prospectus is first used, whichever comes first. A 424B3 reports a big change to an earlier prospectus and is due within five business days of its first use.
Read the share count, the price, who is selling and what the money is for. When existing holders sell, the prospectus names them, as Rule 424(b)(7) shows. Our guide to stock offerings and dilution shows what a sale does to existing owners.
Sec.08Form 425 and Form S-4 merger filings
When two companies agree to combine, their letters, slides and call scripts about the deal are filed as Form 425. If the buyer pays with its own shares, it registers them on Form S-4.
Rule 425 says each written message about a merger must be filed on the day it is first used. That is why one deal can bring many 425 filings, from the press release to the slides for an investor call. In October 2026, StockTitan listed 324 of them.
Form S-4 registers securities issued in mergers and in exchange offers, where holders are invited to swap securities they own for new ones, sometimes from the same company. For a merger, it carries information about the buyer and about the company being bought. In a merger 425 or S-4, look for how many buyer shares each target share gets, any cash on top, and the expected closing date.
Sec.09DEF 14A and PRE 14A proxy statements
A proxy statement tells shareholders what they will vote on. PRE 14A is the draft. DEF 14A is the final version, and it shows what the top executives were paid.
Under Rule 14a-6, the draft is filed at least 10 calendar days before the final copies go to shareholders. A routine annual meeting needs no draft, for example one that only elects directors. So a PRE 14A means the ballot holds something more, and the draft shows it first.
The DEF 14A is filed no later than the day it first goes to shareholders. It holds the pay tables, the board nominees and every proposal. Our DEF 14A guide shows where each part sits. The ARS is the annual report the company sends its shareholders. Under Rule 14a-3, the company also sends it to the SEC, for information only. It is due by the later of two days: when it first goes to shareholders, or when the proxy is filed.
Sec.10Form D and 25-NSE filings
A few smaller forms still carry real news. Form D marks a private sale of securities, and 25-NSE marks a security leaving an exchange.
Form D is due within 15 days after the first sale in a private offering under the SEC's Regulation D rules.
A 25-NSE is the Form 25 an exchange files to remove a security from listing. Under Rule 12d2-2, the removal takes effect 10 days after the filing. Some are routine, such as bonds that were paid off or shares replaced by other securities in a merger. Others follow a company that fell below the exchange's rules, so check the reason given in the filing.
Sec.11Where to read SEC filings on StockTitan
Each filing StockTitan lists has its own page with a Rhea-AI summary in plain words. You can follow all filings live, one form at a time or one company at a time.
Form pages collect one form across all companies: Form 4, 8-K, 10-K, 10-Q, DEF 14A, S-1, S-3 and 424B. The 424B page leaves out the many supplements for notes, a kind of bond, filed by a fixed list of large banks.
The live feed narrows to one 8-K item when you add it to the address, as in Item 2.02 results.
Our guide to SEC filing dates explains the times shown on each filing.
Every filing is also free on the SEC's own EDGAR search. The table below matches common questions to the filing that answers them.
Your question
The filing to open
How did the company do this year?
10-K, or 20-F for a foreign company
What happened last quarter?
10-Q, or the 8-K with Item 2.02
Something big just happened. What was it?
The latest 8-K, or 6-K for a foreign company
Are insiders buying or selling?
Form 4, and Form 144 for planned sales
Who owns more than 5%?
Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G
Is the company selling new shares?
S-1, S-3 and the 424B that follows
How much is the chief executive paid?
DEF 14A
Is the company being bought or merging?
Form 425, S-4 and the 8-K with Item 1.01
Source: the SEC forms and rules linked in the sections above.
The form name is the quickest clue to what a filing holds. Then check the item numbers on an 8-K or the transaction codes on a Form 4.
Our numbers
These figures are our calculations from the sources linked in this article. They count one month, October 1 to 30, 2026, of filings tied to companies StockTitan covers, so the shares move with the reporting calendar and fund forms such as 13F appear far less often than on EDGAR.
About 7 in 10: Form 4, 8-K, 6-K and Form 144 were 17,256 of the 23,987 filings StockTitan listed from October 1 to 30, 2026.
More than 1 in 3: the 9,030 Form 4 filings out of those 23,987.
About 3 in 10: the 1,350 of 4,462 October 8-K reports that listed Item 2.02.
The values in both charts: the count of each form, and the share of October 8-K reports listing each item, from the same days.
Sec.12Frequently asked questions
Yes. Every public filing is free to read on the SEC's EDGAR search. StockTitan shows the filings of the companies it covers, each with a plain summary, on its live SEC filings feed.
The DEF 14A proxy statement. Its summary compensation table shows the salary, bonus, stock awards and other pay of the top executives. Our DEF 14A guide shows how to read it.
Form 144 is a notice that an affiliate plans to sell, filed when the sell order goes in. Form 4 reports a trade that already happened, within two business days. So the Form 144 shows the plan, and the Form 4 of an officer or director shows what was actually sold.
Form D is a short notice that a company sold securities in a private offering under Regulation D, without registering them. It is due within 15 days after the first sale.
It depends on the form. An 8-K is usually due within four business days of the event, and a Form 4 within two. The 10-K and 10-Q have fixed windows after the period ends, from 40 to 90 days by form and company size.
Most do not. A foreign private issuer files a 20-F as its annual report and furnishes news and interim results on Form 6-K.
The Stock Titan Editorial Team is a group of market analysts and data scientists who specialize in transforming complex financial data into actionable insights.
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