Don't trust it — verify it
SEC figures cite the filing they come from, so you (or your agent) can check them against the primary source. Multi-source — SEC filings, earnings transcripts, IR disclosures, and a market-data feed — each labeled by source, with every limitation stated.
Why Accuracy Matters
You're comparing two platforms. Platform X shows a company with 50% profit margin. Platform Y shows 20%. Which is right?
Bad data leads to bad decisions — and an AI agent built on bad data automates them at scale. So we don't ask you to take our word for it. Fundamentals parse straight from SEC EDGAR filings, and SEC figures cite the filing they come from; signals also draw on earnings transcripts and IR disclosures, labeled by source; prices come from a market-data feed. You can check it yourself.
Cited to the filing: SEC fundamentals cite the official filing they come from — the same primary source regulators and institutional investors use. Don't trust it; verify it.
How We Ensure Accuracy
Think of it like reading a student's report card directly from the school versus getting it third-hand through multiple people. We go straight to the source.
1. Primary-source by default
Fundamentals come straight from SEC EDGAR, the official repository for US public-company disclosures — no aggregation middlemen. Qualitative signals add earnings transcripts and IR disclosures; prices come from a market-data feed. Whatever the source, the answer says which one it is.
2. Automated Quality Checks
Every filing goes through validation: balance sheet equations, revenue trend analysis, and range checks. Data that fails validation is flagged for review.
Transparency in Action
Direct SEC Sourcing
Apple's revenue? Pulled directly from its 10-K filing on SEC EDGAR, the official source, not a third-party database.
Standard Calculations
Most metrics require just 1-2 arithmetic operations from standard GAAP line items. Complex metrics (ROIC, WACC) use industry-standard formulas.
No Gap Filling
Missing data appears as "N/A" with an explanation. We never estimate, interpolate, or fill gaps with industry averages.
Last Updated Timestamps
Every page shows when data was last refreshed, so you know exactly how current the information is.
Watch It Yourself
Don't take our word for it. The inspector replays a real agent run against MetricDuck — every tool call, every returned fact, every citation back to the source filing, visible.
Limitations
Trust requires stating what we don't do as plainly as what we do:
Fundamental Data, Not Trading Signals
We provide SEC-based fundamental analysis, not real-time trading data or technical indicators. Prices are end-of-day only. New 8-K and 10-Q filing text is typically available about 7–8 minutes after SEC acceptance (median; 9 in 10 within about 20 minutes; measured on filings accepted from 21:10 UTC on 11-09, when the current pipeline went live, to the end of 11-10, 2026). 10-Q figures are computed on a similar timescale. The recent-filings feed is cached (up to 30 minutes in the MCP tool, up to about an hour over the REST API), and screens and company snapshots refresh on a schedule, so both can lag.
GAAP-Focused
We show Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) metrics. Company-specific non-GAAP adjustments require manual review of footnotes.
SEC Filers Only
Covers ~6,000 SEC filers: US companies and foreign private issuers that file with the SEC (20-F, 40-F, 6-K). Foreign private issuers file no quarterly XBRL, so their financial statements are annual; interim results come from their 6-K releases. Complex structures (REITs, banks, holding companies) may require additional manual analysis.
Found an Error?
We take accuracy seriously. If you spot a discrepancy:
Email us at [email protected]
Include: Company name, specific metric, what you expected vs. what you see
Response time: We investigate within 24 hours and make corrections as quickly as possible.
Technical Methodology
For technical users, developers, and search engines
Data Collection Process
We monitor SEC EDGAR continuously for new 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and DEF 14A filings, and 20-F, 40-F and 6-K filings from foreign private issuers. XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) data is parsed using industry-standard parsers. Each data point is tagged with original XBRL tag (e.g., us-gaap:Revenues), filing date, period covered, and reference to source filing.
Challenge: Companies use 50+ different XBRL tags for the same concept (revenue). Our system handles common variations but may miss unusual custom tags.
Validation & Quality Checks
Before publishing, automated checks verify: balance sheet equations (Assets = Liabilities + Equity), revenue trend analysis (flag unusual changes >50% QoQ), metric range validation (ROIC between -100% and 1000%), and missing data detection.
Calculated Metrics
We compute 250+ derived metrics including ROIC (Return on Invested Capital), WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital), FCF (Free Cash Flow), and financial ratios. Most metrics require just 1-2 arithmetic operations from GAAP line items. Complex metrics use industry-standard formulas.
Edge case handling: Negative equity for ROIC and zero share count scenarios are handled conservatively (shown as N/A when calculations would be misleading).
Update Frequency & Timeliness
Financial statements: Computed from each new 10-K/10-Q as it is extracted, usually within minutes of SEC acceptance (see above).Calculated metrics: Recomputed automatically when new financials are published.Company metadata: Industry, sector, and descriptions refreshed weekly.
Historical Data Coverage
Filings from 2013 onward. Depth varies by company: structured XBRL history starts later for some companies. Requests return up to 10 years.