A 13F discloses the equity holdings of large institutional managers each quarter.
What it is
A 13F is a report that institutional investment managers overseeing at least $100 million in qualifying US securities must file with the SEC each calendar quarter. It lists the manager's long positions in publicly traded US-listed stocks, options, and convertible securities as of the quarter's end. It is the primary public window into what hedge funds, mutual funds, and other large managers own.
Why it matters
13F filings let investors track 'smart money', the positions of well-known funds and managers, and spot new buys, exits, and concentration. The big pitfalls are timeliness and completeness: managers have up to 45 days after quarter-end to file, so the data can be over six weeks old, and 13Fs exclude short positions, cash, and most non-US holdings. Treat it as a delayed snapshot, not a live trade feed.
How it's calculated
It is a regulatory disclosure document, not a computed metric; it aggregates each manager's reportable US equity positions as of the last day of the quarter.
How Quintarthai uses it
13F institutional flow is incorporated into Quinn's smart-money analysis, with figures tied to click-to-source provenance receipts; view a company's holders on its deep-analysis page.
Cross-border note. The 13F regime is US-only; there is no direct Canadian equivalent, so institutional positions in TSX-listed names are tracked instead through SEDI and SEDAR+ disclosures.
FAQ
How delayed is 13F data?
Managers have up to 45 days after the end of each quarter to file, so 13F holdings can be more than six weeks old by the time they are public.
Do 13Fs show short positions?
No. A 13F reports long positions in US-listed equities and certain options only; short sales, cash, and most foreign holdings are not included.
Check your understanding
Which limitation of 13F filings most affects how investors should interpret them?
Managers have up to 45 days after quarter-end to file and 13Fs list only long US-equity positions, so the data is a delayed, incomplete snapshot rather than a live trade feed.