Material events (8-K)
Alerts when a company reports a major event, such as a deal, a bankruptcy or a leadership change.
Public companies file a Form 8-K with the SEC to announce major events, generally within four business days of the event. Each 8-K lists numbered items that say what happened. Market Rodeo sends an alert for the items below.
| Category | SEC item | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Material agreement | 1.01 | The company signed a major contract |
| Material agreement | 1.02 | The company ended a major contract |
| Bankruptcy | 1.03 | The company entered bankruptcy or receivership |
| M&A / control change | 2.01 | The company completed an acquisition or sold assets |
| M&A / control change | 5.01 | Control of the company changed |
| Delisting | 3.01 | The exchange warned the company about delisting or a listing-rule breach |
| Auditor change | 4.01 | The company changed its accounting firm |
| Restatement | 4.02 | Earlier financial statements can no longer be relied on |
| Leadership | 5.02 | A director or officer left, or a new one was appointed |
When you get an alert
We check the SEC every few minutes, so an alert usually arrives within minutes of the 8-K appearing.
What the alert shows
- Title: the event in plain words, for example "Bankruptcy filing" or "Leadership change".
- What happened: for example "Example Corp changed its accounting firm".
- Symbol and a link to the filing.
When one 8-K covers several items, the most serious one names the alert, in this order: bankruptcy, delisting, acquisition, change in control, restatement, auditor change, material agreement, ended agreement, leadership change.
The alert tells you what kind of event it is. For the details, such as who left or the terms of a deal, open the filing.
What isn't covered
- Earnings. Quarterly results also arrive on an 8-K, but they have their own alert type. See Earnings.
- Other items, such as shareholder vote results or general announcements.
- A corrected 8-K (an 8-K/A) can send a second alert for the same event.
Browsing 8-K events
The 8-K page lists recent events and lets you filter by category.
Still stuck? Email [email protected].