Data & Methodology

Where the data comes from, how it's processed, and what the numbers mean.

Data Sources

All data on InsiderRadar is sourced directly from the US Securities and Exchange Commission's public EDGAR system. No third-party data vendors are used.

EndpointUsed For
sec.gov/files/company_tickers.jsonTicker → CIK mapping (all US public companies)
efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-indexFull-text search for Form 4 and 13F filings
data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK{cik}.jsonCompany metadata and filing history
sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/Raw Form 4 XML and 13F InfoTable XML files

Form 4 Processing

When you search a ticker, InsiderRadar queries the EDGAR full-text search API for Form 4 filings mentioning that company's CIK number in the last 90 days. For each filing, we download the XML document directly from the EDGAR Archives and parse the nonDerivativeTransaction blocks for transaction data.

We process filings in batches of 4 in parallel, with a 300ms gap between batches, to stay within SEC's rate limits. Results are cached at the edge for 1 hour.

Unusual Activity Threshold

A trade is flagged as unusual when: (1) the transaction code is P (open-market purchase), and (2) the total value (shares × price) exceeds $500,000. This threshold was chosen to filter for meaningfully large discretionary purchases while excluding routine small transactions.

13F Processing

Fund holdings are retrieved by searching EDGAR for 13F-HR filings matching the fund name. The most recent filing's InfoTable XML is parsed for holdings data. Values are reported in thousands of dollars as per the 13F standard — we multiply by 1,000 for display. Holdings are sorted by value and limited to the top 50 positions.

Limitations

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