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To check a U.S. public company, first confirm its ticker and share class, then review its stock chart over a clearly defined period and look up its latest reports in the SEC’s free EDGAR database. Use the chart to understand price movement; use the company’s filings and earnings release to understand what it reported. These are different kinds of information, and neither by itself predicts what the stock will do next.
1. Confirm the company and ticker
Start with the company’s full name, then verify its ticker and exchange on its investor relations website or a financial quote page. This prevents confusion between similarly named companies or different share classes. Use the confirmed ticker when searching for price history or filings.
This guide focuses on U.S. public-company disclosures. Foreign issuers and companies with different reporting obligations may use other forms or filing systems.
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Open a quote page or price chart and choose a period that matches your question—for example, one month, one year, or five years. Record the start and end dates, and check whether the chart shows only share-price movement or includes dividends. A quote or chart provides market-price information; it does not explain the company’s financial results.
Price return measures the change in share price. Total return also accounts for distributions such as dividends. As Investor.gov’s stock FAQs explain, investment return may come from both price appreciation and dividends, while stock prices can rise or fall in response to company-specific and broader market factors. Do not describe a price-only change as total return if dividends are excluded.
A stock snapshot may bring together a current quote, chart, news, and company statistics; Fidelity’s stock-research guide describes these features. Treat any quote as time-sensitive, and note the dates used for a historical comparison.
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3. Find the company’s filings in SEC EDGAR
The SEC’s EDGAR database provides free public access to company filings. Search by the confirmed company name or ticker, then review the filing list by date and form type. The filing date helps you distinguish the newest report from older documents. A form type ending in “/A” indicates an amendment; check whether it changes or supplements the original filing.
For the company’s main recurring reports, look for these forms:
| Form | What it covers | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 10-K | Annual report, including audited annual financial statements, risk factors, and management’s discussion and analysis. | The company’s full-year results, business and risk disclosures, and management’s explanation of changes. |
| 10-Q | Quarterly report with unaudited financial statements and updated discussion for the quarter and year to date. | Interim results and changes since the annual report. U.S.-based public companies generally file 10-Qs for the first three fiscal quarters. |
| 8-K | Current report for significant events between periodic reports; it may include an earnings release or preliminary earnings information. | Events such as a major announcement, acquisition, or leadership change, and any earnings material filed or furnished with the report. |
These reports are described in the SEC’s EDGAR guide and its overview of public companies. Fiscal quarters do not always match calendar quarters, so use the period stated in the report when comparing results.
4. Read earnings beyond the headline number
For a fuller view of earnings, open the latest 10-K or 10-Q and locate its financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A). The SEC identifies the income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and statement of stockholders’ equity as core statements. Read them alongside the company’s explanation and risk factors; revenue or earnings per share alone may not reveal cash generation, debt, or changes in risk. See the SEC’s guide to reading a 10-K or 10-Q.
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Compare like periods: the latest quarter with the same fiscal quarter a year earlier, and—when useful—the year-to-date figures with the corresponding prior-year period. Check whether a number is for the quarter alone or accumulated year to date.
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For a faster earnings update, check the company’s investor relations site for its earnings release. Then look for a related 8-K in EDGAR and note whether the release was furnished or filed. The release can be a useful summary, but the periodic report provides fuller financial statements and discussion. The SEC’s EDGAR guide and public-company overview explain these report types.
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5. Keep comparisons consistent
- Stock comparisons: Use the same start and end dates for each stock, and say whether dividends are included.
- Earnings comparisons: Match fiscal periods and distinguish quarter-only figures from year-to-date figures.
- Filing comparisons: Record the form type and filing date, and check for amendments.
- Interpretation: Compare market movement with company disclosures, but recognize that factors beyond the company can affect its share price.
Company reports can help explain whether a company is making or losing money and why, but they are records of what the company reported—not forecasts of future share performance. This workflow is for research, not individualized buy, sell, or hold advice. Investor.gov’s guidance on investing on your own cautions investors against relying solely on stock tips.
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