EDGAR Tools: An Awesome Python Package to Get SEC Filings

Today, we’re talking about the best EDGAR library we have ever seen! We’ve tested many EDGAR libraries in the last year,and none of them have met our requirements. The libraries often have low functionality or have not worked properly. In addition, the libraries often had poor documentation. This article shows you a library that has convinced us!

Maybe you’re wondering what EDGAR even is. EDGAR stands for Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval, and it is a database for legally required reports of all reportable companies. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) manages this database. The filed reports are called SEC filings.

In this article, we look at the Python package edgartools, a very well-structured EDGAR library. We have tested the library, and it is very comprehensive. In addition, it is very powerful and easy to use. And the best, you don’t need an API key from the SEC. With this package, you can filter, query and select every filing since 1994. Furthermore, you can view the filing’s html, xml and text.

For instance, you can get Tesla’s current balance sheet with two lines of code:

Request Tesla’s balance sheet (GIF by authors)

Awesome! Now, let’s jump into the setup!