![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ISS_14874_02520-1024x720.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn short, an 8-K is a form that a company is required to send out to the public. More often than not, the company likely also will hold a press conference and chances are, you\u2019re going to read about the announcement on Yahoo Finance<\/a> or whatever other forum that you use for your news before you even get to the 8-K, but that is definitely not always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when does an 8-K need to be distributed by the\ncompany? Some common situations include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n There are absolutely some situations that would require an\n8-K, but for the most part, these are the most common times that you might see\none administered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As with anything else, the best way to familiarize yourself with anything is to dive into it headfirst. Just as with a 10-K or a 10-Q, you are hopefully going to SEC.gov<\/a> as that\u2019s the most accurate source of information, to see these formal notices. If you haven\u2019t done it before, trust me, it\u2019s really not too hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you go to SEC.gov<\/a>, you can simply type the stock ticker into the search bar to pull up all of the forms that the company has distributed. In this case, I am going to search for Twitter (TWTR):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, just click on the link below to take you to the all-encompassing listing of all of the filings for that company:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you will be able to see all of the filings that the company has had. You can sort by the type of filing and dates to really narrow in on the desired data. As you can see in the screenshot below, you can see that both 8-K\u2019s and a 10-K is on the first page for you to view. Now of course, we\u2019re here to talk about the 8-K, so I will click on the \u201cInteractive Data\u201d tab that\u2019s highlighted in blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next, and final, step is for you to click on the 8-K options in the screenshot below to take you to the actual 8-K:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And alas, you have finally arrived at your destination! I know that might\u2019ve seemed like a lot of clicks, but the majority is just making sure that you know where to click, which is why I wanted to outline it very clearly. While SEC.gov<\/a> is a great website for accurate information, it is clunky, so please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions and I\u2019ll be more than happy to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you get in a groove, you\u2019ll be able to navigate the\nwebsite with ease like a pro!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you clicked on the \u20188-K\u2019 option above, and you\u2019ve landed here. At the top, you\u2019ll see some very generic information like the first screenshot, but if you keep on scrolling then you\u2019ll get to the meat and bones that I\u2019ve shown in the second screenshot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, this was signed by the CFO and was written to tell the public that Twitter has entered into a cooperation agreement with Elliott Management and that they\u2019re going to add Jesse Cohn to the TWTR Board of Directors. I have my own opinion activist investor companies, and Elliott Management specifically, but I\u2019m going to withhold my opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All that I am going to say is\u2026. booooooooooo.\u00a0 These companies tend to be a little short-sided, looking for the fastest way to generate value for shareholders, which is great if you\u2019re a short-term shareholder, but as you know, I\u2019m in it for the long-term, and so are Andrew and Dave<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another 8-K example that I have pulled up is with Tesla:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll be honest, I was pretty surprised that this qualified\nfor an 8-K, but due to the fact that this information was given to the public\nvia a press release, it makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tesla was essentially just giving an update on their\nproduction and deliveries of cars. They\nthen went on and added some more color about the financial performance of the\ncompany and just added a little more color to the numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p1-1024x267.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p2.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p3-1024x349.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Click to zoom<\/code><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p4.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p5.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p6.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eor7ztmv4pb.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/b139p7-1024x265.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Click to zoom<\/code><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n