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How to read an SEC Form 4 (insider transactions)
Form 4 is the SEC filing corporate insiders (officers, directors, 10%+ owners) must file within two business days of trading their company's stock.
The fields that matter
- Transaction code:
P= open-market purchase,S= open-market sale,A= grant/award,M= option exercise,G= gift. - Shares & price: size and execution price of the trade.
- Ownership after: shares held following the transaction.
Signal vs noise
Open-market purchases (code P) with real cash are generally the most watched signal — insiders buy for one reason but sell for many (diversification, taxes, scheduled 10b5-1 plans). Clusters of buys by multiple insiders are stronger than a single trade.
How Aegwah packages Form 4
- Open-market buys & sells parsed per ticker (Basic).
- Pro adds clusters (3+ buys in 7 days), conviction scores, and ownership summaries.
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