EDGAR stands for Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval. It's the SEC's free, public database of every filing submitted by publicly-traded US companies — 10-Ks, 10-Qs, 8-Ks, proxy statements, prospectuses, insider trading reports, and thousands of other document types.
Every public company is required by law to file with the SEC. Every one of those filings goes into EDGAR. And all of it is available to anyone with an internet connection, completely free, updated in near-real-time.
Most retail investors get their company information filtered through financial news sites, earnings summaries, and social media. By the time that information reaches you, it's been summarized, simplified, and often delayed. EDGAR gives you the original, unfiltered source documents — the same documents institutional investors, analysts, and lawyers read. The information advantage is enormous, and almost nobody uses it.
The main EDGAR entry point is www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar and the newer, more search-friendly interface at efts.sec.gov (the EDGAR full-text search). You'll use both.
EDGAR supports three ways to find a company's filings. Each has advantages depending on what you know:
Go to www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany and enter the company name in the "Company Name" field. This is useful when you know the company's name but not their ticker. Be aware that company names can be messy — partial matches work, but you might get multiple results for common words.
The fastest method for most investors. Enter the ticker in the "Company Name" field — EDGAR actually accepts tickers there too — or use the newer search at efts.sec.gov which has a unified search that handles tickers cleanly. A ticker search returns the company's EDGAR page directly.
The CIK (Central Index Key) is a unique identifier that EDGAR assigns to every registrant. Unlike company names (which can change) or tickers (which can be retired or reassigned), the CIK is permanent. Once you know a company's CIK, you can always find their filings directly at: www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=[NUMBER]&type=&dateb=&owner=include&count=40
The easiest way to find a CIK: go to efts.sec.gov, search for the company name or ticker, click on any filing result. The URL will contain the CIK number, e.g., /cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001318605.
You can also find CIKs in the header of any filing document — they're listed as "Central Index Key" on the filing's cover page.
Pro tip: Bookmark a company's EDGAR page using their CIK URL for reliable, permanent access.
Every public company files dozens of different form types per year. Without filtering, the filings list is overwhelming. Here's how to filter to only see what you need:
On a company's EDGAR filing page, you'll see a "Filing Type" field. Enter the form code to filter:
10-K — Annual reports (filed once a year)10-Q — Quarterly reports (filed 3x per year)8-K — Material events/current reports (filed within 4 business days)S-3 — Shelf registration statementsS-1 — IPO/initial registration statements424B3 — Prospectus supplements (ATM activity, PIPE registrations)DEF 14A — Proxy statementsSC 13G — 5%+ ownership filings (passive)SC 13D — 5%+ ownership filings (active)4 — Insider trading reports (Form 4)The 424B3 filing is a prospectus supplement — it's what companies file every time they sell shares through an ATM program or register PIPE shares for resale. DilutionWatch monitors every 424B3 and 424B5 filing across all tracked companies in real-time. This is the document that tells you dilution is happening right now.
When you click on any filing in EDGAR, you first see the filing index page — a table of contents listing every document within that filing. Understanding this page is essential for finding what you need quickly.
A typical 10-K filing index includes:
Exhibits are labeled "EX-10.1", "EX-21.1" etc. The main filing document is labeled with the form type (e.g., "10-K"). Start with the main document for the narrative; use exhibits for specific contracts.
Each document should have a brief description: "Annual report", "Securities Purchase Agreement", "Form of Warrant", etc. This tells you which exhibit is which without opening them all.
EX-10.x (Material contracts including SPA and warrant agreements), EX-4.x (Warrant certificates and terms), EX-23 (Auditor letters — look for going concern qualifications).
Once you open the main filing document, use browser search (Ctrl+F) to jump to key sections. Search for "outstanding", "dilution", "ATM", "warrant", "cash and cash equivalents", "going concern" — you'll find the relevant sections in seconds.
EDGAR has a built-in email alert system called EDGAR Filing Alerts that notifies you when a specific company files a new document. This is one of the most underused features on the entire platform.
To set up an email alert:
efts.sec.gov and search for the company you want to monitorwww.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=[CIK]&type=&dateb=&owner=include&count=40&search_text= and find the email alert option)For any stock you hold or are watching for dilution risk, set up alerts for at minimum: 8-K (material events), S-3 (shelf registrations), 424B3 (prospectus supplements), and DEF 14A (proxy statements). These four form types will catch nearly every dilution event before it becomes headline news.
You can set up alerts for specific form types only — you don't have to receive alerts for every filing. For dilution monitoring, focus on 8-K (material events), 424B (prospectus supplements), and S-3 (new shelf registrations).
One of EDGAR's most powerful but least-known features is its full-text search capability, accessible at efts.sec.gov. Unlike the basic company-name search, full-text search lets you search the content of all SEC filings — not just the metadata.
This is enormously powerful for research. Examples of what you can find with full-text search:
Find recent ATM programs:
Query: at-the-market offering program "H.C. Wainwright"
Form type filter: 424B3
Date range: Last 30 days
Find going concern companies:
Query: "substantial doubt" "going concern" "cash and cash equivalents"
Form type filter: 10-K
Date range: Last 90 days
Find specific PIPE investors:
Query: "Anson Funds" "securities purchase agreement"
Form type filter: 8-K
Date range: Last 6 months
The full-text search index is updated daily. It covers the last several years of filings, not the entire EDGAR archive. For historical research, the basic company search is more complete.
EDGAR provides RSS feeds that allow you to monitor new filings in real-time using any RSS reader. This is especially useful for tracking specific form types across all companies.
Key EDGAR RSS feeds:
www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcurrent&type=&dateb=&owner=include&count=40&search_text=&output=atomwww.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcurrent&type=8-K&dateb=&owner=include&count=40&search_text=&output=atomwww.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=[CIK]&type=&dateb=&owner=include&count=40&search_text=&output=atomFor dilution monitoring specifically, the most valuable RSS feed is the 424B filing feed — this catches every prospectus supplement filed by any company, letting you see ATM activity across the entire market in real-time.
DilutionWatch monitors EDGAR RSS feeds continuously — checking for new filings every 60 seconds — and processes them to identify dilution-relevant events. Instead of managing dozens of RSS feeds and parsing raw SEC documents, you get clean, contextualized alerts with the dilution analysis already done.
Here's a quick reference guide to the most important filing types for dilution research:
DilutionWatch monitors all SEC filings across thousands of companies in real-time, flagging the filings that matter for dilution risk. Instead of checking EDGAR manually, get instant alerts when a company you're watching files an S-3, 424B, or 8-K disclosing a new offering.
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