What is SEC EDGAR (and how insider filings get there)?
EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) is the SEC's filing system. Every public-company document — 10-Ks, 8-Ks, prospectuses, and every insider Form 3, 4, and 5 — is filed through EDGAR and becomes publicly readable within seconds of acceptance, for free.
How a Form 4 flows through it
- The insider trades; within two business days their counsel files the Form 4 as structured XML.
- EDGAR accepts filings from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern on business days and publishes them to its full-text and index feeds essentially instantly.
- Each filing gets an accession number and lives at a permanent URL under the company's CIK — which is why every row on our pages can link straight to its source document.
Reading EDGAR yourself vs. using a layer on top
Everything we show exists on EDGAR — that's the point; it's all verifiable. What EDGAR doesn't do is filter or connect: it won't separate an open-market buy from routine compensation noise, and it has no concept of two insiders buying the same stock in the same week. We poll EDGAR continuously, parse each Form 4, keep the meaningful purchases, and detect cluster buys across them — with alerts the moment one forms. The result is browsable on stocks, insiders, and sectors.
Frequently asked questions
- Is SEC EDGAR free to use?
- Yes. Every filing on EDGAR — including all insider Forms 3, 4, and 5 — is publicly readable for free at sec.gov within seconds of acceptance.
- How quickly do Form 4 filings appear on EDGAR?
- Essentially instantly — EDGAR publishes accepted filings to its full-text and index feeds within seconds, during filing hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern.
- What does EDGAR not do for insider-trading analysis?
- EDGAR doesn't filter or connect filings — it won't separate open-market buys from compensation noise or detect multiple insiders buying the same stock in the same window.