When Do Company Annual Reports Come Out?

An annual report is a yearly publication providing an overview of a company’s activities and financial health from the preceding year. Publicly traded companies must produce these reports to maintain transparency with shareholders, potential investors, and the public. The document details operational successes and challenges alongside financial statements. This allows interested parties to assess the company’s performance and strategic direction.

Filing Deadlines for Public Companies

The release date for a company’s annual report is determined by the end of its fiscal year. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sets the deadline for the formal annual report, known as the Form 10-K. This deadline varies based on a company’s public float, which is the market value of stock held by public investors.

Large Accelerated Filers, with a public float of $700 million or more, must file their Form 10-K within 60 days of their fiscal year-end. Accelerated Filers, with a public float between $75 million and $700 million, are given 75 days. An exception exists for companies that qualify as a “Smaller Reporting Company” (SRC), which is a company with a public float of less than $250 million, or one with less than $100 million in annual revenues and a public float below $700 million. Companies meeting SRC criteria are given 90 days to file.

All other companies with a public float below $75 million fall into the Non-Accelerated category and have a 90-day deadline. If a company cannot meet its deadline, it can file Form 12b-25, Notification of Late Filing, for an automatic 15-day extension.

Differentiating Report Types

Investors often encounter two different types of annual reports. The first is the official Form 10-K filed with the SEC, a legally mandated document containing audited financial data. This report includes the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows, along with discussions of business operations, risk factors, and management’s analysis.

The second type is the “glossy” annual report, a visually engaging marketing document created for shareholders. This version summarizes information from the 10-K in a digestible format and often features a CEO’s letter, photographs, and narratives about company achievements. While its release is often timed with the 10-K, it is not subject to SEC filing deadlines.

How to Find a Company’s Annual Report

The most direct method to find a company’s Form 10-K is through the SEC’s EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) database. On the SEC’s website, you can search for a company by its name or stock ticker symbol. The results will show all filed documents, which can be filtered to display only 10-K filings.

Alternatively, visit the company’s website and look for an “Investor Relations” or “Investors” section. This area contains financial information, including links to “SEC Filings” or “Annual Reports.” The company’s Form 10-K and other financial documents are posted there for easy access.