How to Find a Fund's 13F Filing on SEC EDGAR (Free, Step by Step)

By Tomas · Last updated November 6, 2026

Every public 13F filing is free on SEC EDGAR. Search the management company’s legal name, filter the results to form type 13F-HR, open the filing and view its information table — that table is the list of holdings.

Quick steps

  1. Go to EDGAR search.
  2. Type the firm’s name, not the person’s (e.g., “Pershing Square Capital Management”, not “Bill Ackman”).
  3. Filter by form type 13F-HR (and 13F-HR/A for amendments).
  4. Open the filing and note the period of report and the filing date.
  5. Open the information table document to see the holdings.

1. Search by the firm, not the famous name

13Fs are filed by the institutional investment manager — the legal entity — so searching a person’s name often returns nothing. Use the firm name that appears in the manager’s own materials. Some managers file under more than one entity; if the holdings look incomplete, check whether another affiliated entity also files a 13F.

2. Use the CIK to avoid look-alike names

Each filer has a Central Index Key (CIK), a permanent number assigned by the SEC. Once you find the right filer, save its CIK: it lets you return to the exact same entity even when names change or several firms have similar names.

3. Filter to 13F filings

In the results, filter by form type. You will typically see:

  • 13F-HR — the holdings report for a quarter.
  • 13F-HR/A — an amendment that corrects an earlier report or adds positions previously kept confidential.
  • 13F-NT — a notice saying another manager reports these holdings.

4. Check the two dates

The filing’s index page shows when it was filed and the period it covers. The period of report (a quarter-end such as September 30) is the date of the holdings; the filing date can be up to 45 days later. See How to read a 13F filing for why this matters.

5. Open the information table

Since 2013, the holdings list is filed as structured XML, and EDGAR usually also offers a human-readable version. Each row shows the issuer, class, CUSIP, value, shares, investment discretion and voting authority. The cover and summary pages show the total value and the number of entries.

Bulk data for analysts

If you want many filings at once, the SEC also publishes quarterly Form 13F data sets extracted from the XML filings. They are convenient for research, but they are published after the quarter and are not a substitute for checking new filings as they arrive. Securities are identified by CUSIP rather than ticker, so you will need to map identifiers yourself.

Shortcut: use Clear13F

Our superinvestor pages show each manager’s latest 13F with the quarter on every number and a link to the exact filing on EDGAR, so you can verify anything in two clicks.

Related

Written by Tomas

Tomas is the founder and editor of Clear13F and checks every holding against the original filing on SEC EDGAR before it is published.

Sources: SEC EDGAR; SEC Form 13F FAQ (questions 18, 20 and 30). Accessed November 6, 2026. Educational content, not investment advice.