What is a 13F filing?
A 13F is an SEC form that institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets are required to file every quarter. It lists their long US equity positions.
When are 13Fs filed?
Within 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter:
- Q1 (Jan-Mar) → due May 15
- Q2 (Apr-Jun) → due August 14
- Q3 (Jul-Sep) → due November 14
- Q4 (Oct-Dec) → due February 14
That 45-day lag is the single most important fact about 13Fs: when you see a position, the actual buy/sell happened 6 weeks to 4 months ago.
What's in a 13F?
For every position, the filing shows:
- Stock name + CUSIP (a unique 9-character identifier)
- Number of shares held
- Market value at quarter end
- Whether the manager has voting rights
What's NOT in a 13F?
- Short positions — completely invisible
- Options — disclosed only as notional, no detail
- Non-US stocks — only US equities
- Bonds, crypto, real estate, private equity — none of it
- Cash position — not disclosed
Should I copy 13F trades?
Probably not literally. By the time you read a position on HoldLens, the price has usually moved 5-15% from where the manager bought. 13Fs are for pattern recognition, not copy-trading — spotting consensus, identifying themes, validating your own picks.
Where can I read 13Fs?
Raw filings: SEC EDGAR. Painful to read. We do it for you on HoldLens.
Foundational reading on securities analysis
You just learned what a 13F is. The three books below are where the managers themselves learned — Graham, Lynch, Munger. Start with whichever voice you want to hear first.
Amazon affiliate links — HoldLens earns a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. These are the books we actually recommend. Always do your own research.
Not investment advice. See methodology for how we parse and score every filing.