Why is it called 10k report

The report contains much more detail than a company's annual report , which is sent to its shareholders before an annual meeting to elect company directors. Some of the information a company is required to document in the K includes its history, organizational structure, financial statements, earnings per share, subsidiaries, executive compensation, and any other relevant data. Because of the depth and nature of the information they contain, Ks are fairly long and tend to be complicated.

But investors need to understand that this is one of the most comprehensive and most important documents a public company can publish on a yearly basis. The more information they can gather from the K, the more they can understand about the company. The government requires companies to publish K forms so investors have fundamental information about companies so they can make informed investment decisions.

This form gives a clearer picture of everything a company does and what kinds of risks it faces. The K includes five distinct sections:. In it, the executives swear under oath that the information included in the K is accurate. These letters became a requirement after several high-profile cases involving accounting fraud following the dot-com bust. Notably, K filings are public information and readily available through a number of sources.

In fact, the vast majority of companies include them in the Investor Relations section of their website. The information included in a K can be difficult to move through, but the more familiar investors become with the layout and the type of information included, it will likely become easier to identify the most important details.

Filing deadlines for the K vary based on the size of the company. Form Q must be submitted to the SEC on a quarterly basis. This form is a comprehensive report of a company's performance and includes relevant information about its financial position.

Unlike the K, the information in the Q is usually unaudited. The company is only required to file it three times a year as the K is filed in the fourth quarter. The form 8-K though is required by the SEC whenever companies announce major events of which shareholders must be made aware.

These events may include but aren't limited to sales, acquisitions, delistings, departures, and elections of executives, as well as changes in a company's status or control, bankruptcies, information about operations, assets, and any other relevant news.

Active 2 years, 7 months ago. Viewed times. So does anyone have an idea where the terms come from? Improve this question. Chris W. Rea I doubt English. SE would allow this question. I asked a friend who is a corporate securities lawyer and has been practicing for more than 25 years, and even she doesn't know! Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Doug Deden Doug Deden 1, 4 4 silver badges 9 9 bronze badges. I think this is the original. There's only one K in the whole thing and it isn't about the periodic filings in Section Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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