What is a 13F Filing?

What is a 13F Filing?

A Form 13F is a quarterly report that institutional investment managers with more than $100 million in assets under management must file with the SEC. It discloses their long equity holdings at the end of each quarter.

Who Must File?

Any institutional investment manager that exercises investment discretion over $100 million or more in Section 13(f) securities must file Form 13F within 45 days of each calendar quarter end.

This includes:

• Hedge funds
• Mutual funds
• Pension funds
• Insurance companies
• Banks and bank holding companies
• Investment advisors

What's in a 13F?

A 13F filing contains an information table listing every qualifying position with:

What's NOT in a 13F?

13Fs have significant limitations:

• No short positions — Short selling is not reported (with limited exceptions)
• No cash — Cash and cash equivalents are excluded
• No bonds — Fixed income is not disclosed
• No options (usually) — Options under certain thresholds don't need to be reported
• No private investments — Only publicly traded Section 13(f) securities
• No transaction dates — You only see end-of-quarter snapshots, not when positions were bought

How to Read a 13F on SEC EDGAR

1. Go to efts.sec.gov
2. Search for the fund name
3. Filter by form type "13F-HR"
4. Click the most recent filing
5. Find the information table (usually an XML attachment)

InvestorLens does this automatically and presents the data in a readable format.

Types of 13F Amendments

Historical Background

13F reporting was established by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and implemented in its current form in 1978. The $100 million threshold has never been adjusted for inflation, meaning many more managers are required to file today than when the rule was created.