Form 13F is required by the SEC and must be filed by institutional investment managers who control at least $100 million in qualifying assets. These managers include hedge funds, pension funds, mutual funds, banks, and large family offices. Every quarter, they must disclose their long U.S. equity positions and certain other securities.
The report lists each stock they own, the number of shares, and the value of those holdings. It does not include short positions, most derivatives, or cash balances. This makes the filing a useful window into what major investors are buying and holding, but it is not a complete view of their entire strategy.
Investors and analysts study 13F filings to track market trends, understand how top managers allocate capital, and look for changes in sentiment. Because the filings come out several weeks after the quarter ends, they show a delayed but still valuable picture of institutional positioning. These insights can help identify emerging themes, new positions, and shifts in confidence.
Form 13F helps make markets more transparent. It allows the public to see where large investors put their money and helps analysts understand broader market direction and institutional behavior.
13F filings list the securities held by major money managers, including share counts and market values. Analysts use these filings to monitor buying and selling trends, compare strategies among top funds, and understand sector preferences. Because the data is consistent each quarter, it also helps track changes over time and identify new ideas major managers are exploring.
Form 13F only includes certain long positions in U.S.-listed equities and does not show shorts, derivatives, futures, or cash. Many hedge funds use complex strategies that rely heavily on these other positions. As a result, a 13F gives only a partial and sometimes misleading view of true exposure. It is useful for understanding holdings but not complete risk.
Investors follow well-known managers to see which companies they are accumulating or selling. Some use 13F data to build “copycat” portfolios, while others use it to identify early signals of institutional interest in specific sectors. Researchers also combine multiple 13F filings to study trends across the broader investment industry.
A hedge fund files its quarterly 13F showing new positions in several technology stocks. Analysts review the filing to identify which companies the fund is backing and compare the changes to prior quarters to understand how the fund’s strategy is shifting.
FinFeedAPI’s SEC API provides access to Form 13F filings and holdings data, allowing users to track institutional investment trends, analyze fund behavior, and integrate 13F insights into dashboards or research tools.
