Form 6-K Explained: The Catch-All SEC Filing for Foreign Companies
Foreign companies file Form 6-K for everything from quarterly earnings to routine governance notices. Understanding this catch-all form is essential for analyzing international stocks—here's what you need to know.
Form 6-K Explained: The Catch-All SEC Filing for Foreign Companies
Last Updated: December 26, 2024
You want to find quarterly earnings for ASML or Novo Nordisk. You search SEC EDGAR, filter by form type, and find 15+ Form 6-K filings from the past quarter alone.
Which one contains the quarterly earnings? Why are there so many? And why does the same form type appear for what looks like completely different purposes?
Welcome to the reality of Form 6-K—the catch-all disclosure form that foreign companies use for everything.
Quick Answer: Form 6-K is how Foreign Private Issuers (FPIs) furnish material information to the SEC. Unlike the mandatory 10-Q for US companies, 6-K is optional and used for everything—quarterly earnings, governance notices, press releases, and shareholder updates. The same form type, different content every time.
What Form 6-K Is (And What It's For)
Form 6-K is the SEC's catch-all form for foreign companies. When a Foreign Private Issuer has material information to share with US investors, they furnish it via 6-K.
The form serves a similar purpose to Form 8-K for US companies (disclosing material events), but with a critical difference: 6-K is also used for quarterly earnings—the information that US companies report via mandatory 10-Q filings.
This means the same form type covers:
- Quarterly and interim financial results
- Annual meeting notices and proxy materials
- Dividend declarations
- Share buyback program updates
- Management and board changes
- Material contracts and agreements
- Press releases
- Regulatory filings from the company's home country
One form. Many purposes. There's no way to tell from the form type alone what a specific 6-K contains.
Why it exists: Foreign Private Issuers already comply with disclosure requirements in their home country. Rather than duplicating US reporting mandates, the SEC allows FPIs to furnish material information through 6-K when it becomes publicly available elsewhere. This reduces the compliance burden while still providing US investors with access to important information.
The Filing Frequency Reality
Here's what you'll actually find when you search for 6-K filings on SEC EDGAR:
| Company | 6-Ks per Year | What You'll Find |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk (NVO) | 60-80 | Only ~4 contain quarterly earnings; rest are routine notices |
| ASML | 4-8 | Clean quarterly pattern, easier to follow |
| Alibaba (BABA) | 60+ | Quarterly earnings mixed with monthly governance notices |
| Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) | 40-60 | Monthly revenue reports plus quarterly results |
| ARM Holdings | 8-12 | Clearly labeled quarterly filings |
This variance exists because companies have discretion over what and when they file. Some FPIs furnish every press release and regulatory notice. Others furnish only the essentials.
The challenge: SEC EDGAR doesn't let you filter by content type. You can't search for "6-K filings that contain quarterly earnings." You see the full list and work through it manually.
How to Find Quarterly Earnings in 6-K Filings
If you're researching a foreign company on SEC EDGAR, here's a practical approach:
Step 1: Search the Company on SEC EDGAR
Go to SEC EDGAR Company Search and enter the company name or ticker. Filter the form type to "6-K" to see only these filings.
Step 2: Look at Filing Dates
Quarterly earnings are typically filed within 1-2 weeks of quarter-end. Focus on 6-Ks filed in:
- Early January (Q4/full-year results)
- Early April (Q1 results)
- Early July (Q2 results)
- Early October (Q3 results)
For companies with non-calendar fiscal years (like Alibaba with March year-end), adjust accordingly.
Step 3: Check Document Descriptions
Click into the filing and review the document list. Look for descriptions containing:
- "Quarterly results" or "interim results"
- "Financial statements"
- "Earnings release" or "earnings announcement"
- "Press release" (often contains earnings summary)
Step 4: Review Exhibit Labels
Some companies put quarterly financial data in exhibit attachments rather than the main document. Look for exhibits labeled:
- "Financial Statements"
- "Quarterly Report"
- "Interim Report"
- Company's home country regulatory filing
The Honest Reality
This process takes time—especially for high-frequency filers like Novo Nordisk or Alibaba where you're sifting through 15-20 filings per quarter. Each company has different conventions for labeling and organizing their 6-K content.
Once you learn a specific company's pattern, finding their quarterly data becomes faster. But there's no universal shortcut that works for all FPIs.
"Furnished" vs "Filed": Why This Matters
You'll notice that Form 6-K documents are "furnished" to the SEC, not "filed." This legal distinction has real implications.
Filed Documents (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K)
Subject to Section 18 liability under the Securities Exchange Act. False or misleading statements can result in legal action, and companies face strict accuracy requirements.
Furnished Documents (Form 6-K)
Lower liability standard. Companies provide the information for investor awareness, but aren't subject to the same Section 18 exposure.
What this means for investors:
- 6-K information is still reliable and companies take it seriously
- However, disclosure depth may vary compared to mandatory filings
- Some 6-K disclosures are less detailed than equivalent 8-K filings from US companies
- The legal recourse for material misstatements differs
This distinction explains why some investors view FPI disclosures as less protective than domestic company filings.
Form 6-K vs Other SEC Forms
Understanding where 6-K fits in the broader SEC filing landscape:
| Form | Who Files | Frequency | Filed vs Furnished | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-K | Foreign companies | As needed (optional) | Furnished | Material events, quarterly earnings, press releases |
| 10-Q | US companies | Quarterly (mandatory) | Filed | Quarterly financial statements and MD&A |
| 8-K | US companies | As needed (mandatory for material events) | Filed | Material events and disclosures |
| 20-F | Foreign companies | Annual (mandatory) | Filed | Annual report (equivalent to 10-K) |
The key difference: 10-Q is mandatory with standardized sections. 6-K is optional with variable content.
This is why tracking quarterly performance for foreign companies requires more effort than for US domestic companies.
How MetricDuck Addresses These Challenges
The challenge with 6-K filings is clear: finding quarterly financial data across 60+ annual filings is tedious and time-consuming. Each company has different filing patterns, labeling conventions, and document structures.
What we do:
We process every 6-K filing and identify which ones contain actual quarterly financial data. For companies that include machine-readable financial data, we extract and standardize it automatically.
The result: you can compare Novo Nordisk's quarterly performance to Eli Lilly, or ASML to Applied Materials, without manually digging through SEC EDGAR. Foreign company financials are presented in the same standardized format as domestic 10-Q data.
View FPI company analysis: ASML | Novo Nordisk | Taiwan Semiconductor | Alibaba
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Form 6-K mandatory for foreign companies?
No. Unlike 10-Q for US companies, Form 6-K is optional. Foreign Private Issuers furnish 6-K to disclose material information when it becomes public, but there's no mandatory quarterly filing requirement.
What's the difference between 6-K and 10-Q?
Form 10-Q is a mandatory quarterly report for US companies with standardized sections (financial statements, MD&A, controls). Form 6-K is optional for foreign companies and covers any material disclosure—quarterly earnings, governance changes, press releases, and more—all in the same form type.
How often do companies file Form 6-K?
It varies dramatically by company. Novo Nordisk files 60-80 per year (15-20 per quarter), while ASML files only 4-8 annually. Most 6-Ks are routine governance notices rather than quarterly earnings.
What does "furnished" mean for Form 6-K?
"Furnished" documents have a lower legal liability standard than "filed" documents. Companies provide the information for investor awareness, but aren't subject to the same Section 18 liability that applies to 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K filings.
How do I find quarterly earnings in Form 6-K filings?
Focus on 6-Ks filed within 1-2 weeks of quarter-end. Check document descriptions for terms like "quarterly results," "interim financials," or "earnings release." Some companies put earnings in the main document; others use exhibit attachments.
Do all foreign companies trading in the US file Form 6-K?
Only Foreign Private Issuers (FPIs) file 6-K. If a foreign company loses FPI status—typically when US investors acquire more than 50% of voting shares—they must file 10-Q and 10-K like domestic companies.
What's the deadline for filing Form 6-K?
There's no fixed deadline. Companies furnish 6-K when they have material information to disclose. For quarterly earnings, most file within 1-2 weeks of quarter-end, but this varies by company and isn't mandated by the SEC.
Can I rely on Form 6-K information for investment decisions?
Yes, with appropriate context. 6-K information is furnished rather than filed, meaning it has a different (lower) legal liability standard. The data is still reliable—companies take these disclosures seriously—but disclosure depth may vary compared to mandatory 10-Q filings.
Summary
Form 6-K is the SEC's catch-all disclosure form for foreign companies. Understanding its quirks is essential for analyzing international stocks:
- One form, many purposes: 6-K covers everything from quarterly earnings to governance notices to press releases
- Optional, not mandatory: Unlike 10-Q, companies choose what and when to furnish
- Filing frequency varies wildly: 4-8 per year (ASML) to 60-80 per year (Novo Nordisk)
- "Furnished" not "filed": Lower legal liability standard than domestic SEC filings
- No content filter on EDGAR: Finding quarterly earnings requires manual review
For investors accustomed to the predictable 10-Q calendar of US domestic companies, FPI filing patterns require adjustment. But with practice—or the right tools—the data is accessible.
Related Reading
- How to Find Quarterly Earnings for Foreign Stocks - Step-by-step EDGAR search for 6-K quarterly results
- How to Read a 20-F Annual Report - Investor's guide to foreign company annual reports
- Why Foreign Companies Don't File 10-Q (And What They File Instead)
- SEC EDGAR: Foreign Company Search
- SEC Form 6-K Instructions
- What is a Foreign Private Issuer? (SEC Definition)
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