> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.secapi.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SEC data for investment managers

> Evaluate a source-backed issuer, ownership, and factor research workflow while keeping descriptive data separate from investment judgment.

Use this guide to reproduce the evidence section of a research note, such as an issuer brief or position-change review. SEC API supplies documented data routes; your team retains responsibility for methodology, investment decisions, and portfolio action.

<Prompt>
  For holdings \[TICKER: WEIGHT] as of \[DATE], calculate portfolio and security factor context, then retrieve each issuer's latest material filing and recent Form 4 activity. Return factor outputs separately from filing facts, with accession numbers and transaction dates. Factor exposure is descriptive, not a forecast; 13F and Form 4 activity do not establish conviction. Use portfolio.analyze, factors.decomposition, companies.overview, filings.search, and insiders.list.
</Prompt>

## Choose the evidence stream

| Research job                              | Route                                                 | Decision criterion                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Resolve the issuer before research        | `GET /v1/entities/resolve`                            | Ticker, CIK, and the downstream identifier are correct.                       |
| Retrieve the filing record behind a claim | `GET /v1/filings`                                     | Form, filing date, accession number, and filing URL are retained.             |
| Review a manager's 13F filing             | `GET /v1/owners/13f` or `POST /v1/owners/13f/compare` | The manager filer CIK and reporting period are explicit.                      |
| Review issuer-level holders               | `GET /v1/owners/institutional/ticker`                 | The issuer and returned coverage fit the question.                            |
| Describe factor exposure                  | `GET /v1/factors/exposures`                           | Symbols, model inputs, and returned methodology or trust fields are retained. |
| Review insider activity                   | `GET /v1/insiders`                                    | Form family, transaction dates, and source fields meet the review policy.     |

Manager-level 13F holdings and issuer-level institutional holders answer different questions. Do not use a manager CIK query as an issuer-holder lookup, or infer conviction from a 13F or Form 4 result.

## Test an ownership question

```bash theme={null}
curl --fail-with-body -sS \
  -H "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/owners/13f?cik=0001067983&limit=20"

curl --fail-with-body -sS \
  -H "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/owners/institutional/ticker?ticker=AAPL&limit=25"
```

Then retrieve an independent issuer evidence stream before describing the position:

```bash theme={null}
curl --fail-with-body -sS \
  -H "x-api-key: $SECAPI_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.secapi.ai/v1/filings?ticker=AAPL&forms=10-K,10-Q,8-K&limit=10"
```

## Separate research from judgment

Factor exposure is descriptive, not a forecast. Ownership disclosures are time-bound filings, not proof of current intent. Preserve returned filing IDs, dates, source URLs, `requestId`, and any freshness or warning fields, then make any investment interpretation in your own documented process.

## Next action

Select one current research note and reproduce its evidence section with the routes above. Compare identity, reporting period, missing-data behavior, and source records before wiring outputs into a model, dashboard, or prompt.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Ownership workflows" icon="building-2" href="/ownership-workflows">Choose the right route for 13F and holder questions.</Card>
  <Card title="Factor intelligence" icon="chart-line" href="/factor-intelligence">Review factor data and methodology boundaries.</Card>
  <Card title="Filing search" icon="file-search" href="/products/filing-search">Retrieve the filing record behind a research claim.</Card>
</CardGroup>