Series 24: Current Reports: Form 8-K

Current Reports: Form 8-K

Publicly traded companies must report current material information on Form 8-K. Form 8-K is not filed regularly but is required at any time that a material event important to shareholders takes place. Reports must be filed within 4 business days of the event’s occurrence.

So what constitutes a material event? The Form 8-K instructions compile a list of reportable events. Here is a sample:

• • Entry into or termination of a material definitive agreement not made in the ordinary course of business. This is an agreement that contains enforceable obligations or rights by one party against another. For example, when two companies agree to enter into a merger, a definitive agreement is signed between the two parties.
• • A bankruptcy proceeding or receivership
• • The acquisition or disposition of assets in excess of 10% of a company’s total as