Definition

Form 10-K

The audited annual report a US public company files with the SEC — the most complete single document about a business: audited financial statements, management's discussion, risk factors, and the auditor's own opinion. It is the primary source nearly every figure on Echelon grounds to.

Formula

One 10-K = audited statements + MD&A + risk factors + auditor's report

Drivers — what actually moves it

Assurance: the 10-K's statements are audited — the highest-assurance figures a company publishes.
Cadence: filed annually after fiscal year-end, with deadlines set by filer size; the 10-Q covers the quarters between.
Restated comparatives: each 10-K restates the prior year beside the current one — the basis for every honest year-over-year comparison.

Where it comes from

Not a filing concept — the annual report form itself, the container the concepts live in. On EDGAR under the company's filings, form type 10-K. Item 1A carries risk factors, Item 7 the MD&A, Item 8 the audited statements.

Sector caveats — where this breaks

Foreign private issuers file the 20-F instead — same role, different form and deadlines.

Drill it in a live lesson Form 10-Q Form 8-K Fiscal year Auditor's report

Educational use only — not investment advice. Figures come from public SEC filings; Echelon teaches you to analyze data, it never recommends buying or selling any security.