Periodic reports are documents that public companies must continuously file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which disclose material updates on the company’s business operations. There are three ways a company can have a requirement to file periodic reports. (1) Section 12(a) of the Exchange Act requires companies to file periodic reports when they are listed on an exchange. (2) Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act requires companies to file periodic reports when they have more than 2,000 shareholders and more than $10 million in assets. (3) Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act requires companies to file periodic reports when they conduct a public offering.
Once a company becomes subject to the periodic report requirements, they must file an annual report on a Form 10-K, a quarterly report on a Form 10-Q, and a current report on a Form 8-K.
[Last updated in January of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]