Data

Methodology and limitations

Last updated: 10 November 2026

This page explains where EdgarStack figures come from, how reported line items are standardized, what is traced to a filing, and where the data can be incomplete or differ from the filing. Check anything important against the original filing.

1. Sources

Financial and filing data comes from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's public EDGAR systems: XBRL company facts, company submissions and full-text search. EdgarStack is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SEC.

Valuation multiples also need a share price, which SEC filings do not contain. EdgarStack combines a delayed or end-of-day market quote from a third-party price source with the SEC fundamentals.

2. How line items are standardized

Companies tag the same concept in different ways. For each standardized metric, EdgarStack keeps an ordered list of candidate XBRL tags and uses the first one the issuer has reported. Revenue, for example, is read from Revenues, then RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax, then RevenueFromContractWithCustomerIncludingAssessedTax.

The response names the tag that was used, so you can see which reported concept a figure came from.

3. What is traced to a filing

Reported figures carry their XBRL tag, period end and SEC accession number. Use these to open the filing and confirm the figure.

Calculated values are different. Ratios, trailing-twelve-month figures and valuation multiples are computed by EdgarStack from reported figures, so they do not have a single tag of their own. Check the reported inputs behind them.

4. Off-balance-sheet review

For a company's latest 10-K, EdgarStack reads the commitments the issuer tags in XBRL and searches the commitment, contingency, lease and debt notes and the MD&A liquidity section. Each of 18 categories is marked as tagged, found in text or not found. This step uses fixed rules and phrase matching. It does not use a language model and does not estimate amounts. It covers US 10-K filers only.

"Not found" means EdgarStack did not find the category. It does not mean the company has no such commitment.

5. Known limitations

• Coverage depends on what each issuer files and which tags it reports. A metric can be missing for a company that reports it under a tag outside the candidate list.
• The SEC APIs EdgarStack uses return facts reported without dimensions. Figures an issuer reports only by segment or share class may be missing. Shares outstanding for some multi-class companies is one example.
• Two companies can use the same tag for figures that are not fully comparable. Check period ends and source tags before comparing peers.
• Filing-section comparison shows added and removed language. It does not judge whether a change is material.
• Market quotes are delayed or end-of-day, so valuation multiples are not real-time.

6. What we have not published yet

We have not yet published an accuracy match rate against filings, a measured time from SEC filing to availability, or an uptime record. We will publish each one with its method once it has been measured. Until then, the beta terms apply: the service makes no availability promise and figures may be incomplete or wrong.

7. Report a data issue

If a figure does not match the filing, tell us through the contact form with the ticker, metric and period.