Form 8-K

Form 8-K is a very broad form used to notify investors of any material event that is important to shareholders or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. This is one of the most common types of forms filed with the SEC. After a significant event like bankruptcy or departure of a CEO, a public company generally must file a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days to provide an update to previously filed quartely reports on Form 10-Q and/or Annual Reports on Form 10-K. Form 8-K is required to be filed by public companies with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For a list of events that would trigger a Form 8-K to be filed, see the Official SEC Form 8-K Summary, reproduced below.

Contents

When Form 8-K is Required

Form 8-K is used to notify investors of a current event. These types of events include:

Investors should always read any 8-K filings that are made by companies in which they are invested. These reports are both material and relevant to the company, and often contain information that will affect the share price.

Reading Form 8K

Typically an 8-K filing will only have two major parts. They are:

References

  1. ^ Hewlett-Packard Company, SEC Administrative Proceeding 3-12643 (Securities and Exchange Commission 2007-05-23).

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