SEC Form 6-K

What Is the SEC Form 6-K?

The SEC Form 6-K is a form that foreign private issuers of securities are required to submit, as per stated rules in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Form 6-K, or "Report of Foreign Private Issuer Pursuant to Rules 13a-16 and 15d-16," is administrated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC Form 6-K is a cover page for foreign issuers making filings with the SEC.

Grasping SEC Form 6-K

When a non-U.S. issuer files an annual, semi-annual, or quarterly financial report with the regulators in its nation of origin, it must present a cover statement on the foreign filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The cover statement is known as the SEC Form 6-K, which frees the burden from dual reporting for certain non-U.S. issuers who must file under these rules.

Since any information that a foreign company issues to its nearby securities regulators, investors or stock exchange must likewise be submitted on the Form 6-K, the 6-K is a catchall for material information that in the middle of among annual and quarterly financial reports, which are likewise submitted to the SEC.

Information is viewed as material to a foreign private issuer in the event that it includes a change in business, change in management or control, material changes in the outstanding number of securities, change in accountants, changes in securities, bankruptcy or receivership, material legal procedures, and so on.

For instance, for the period ended January 26, 2018, GlaxoSmithKline PLC outfitted a 6-K report. The report gave material information that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had issued a positive assessment suggesting marketing authorization on one of the company's immunizations, Shingrix, utilized for the prevention of shingles.

Special Considerations

Through SEC Form 6-K, a foreign private issuer gives communications and material information that is disclosed in its nation of origin, filed with and unveiled with its country's stock exchange on which its securities are traded, or dispersed to security holders.

This form basically advances cross-border information sharing by permitting U.S. investors in foreign securities to have the very access to information that investors in the foreign company's home market are getting. The information on the form guarantees that investors are aware of information the issuers disseminate outside of the U.S. This transparency of information is one of the main elements for an orderly and fair market.

Filings made with the SEC on Form 6-K are considered to be "outfitted" and not "filed" for purposes of liability under Section 18 of the Exchange Act, which makes a private right of action against people for false and deceiving statements of material fact in documents "filed" as per the Exchange Act.

Requirements for SEC Form 6-K

SEC 6-K forms frequently incorporate copy duplicates of the foreign private issuer's most recent financial reports, for example, income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Aside from annual reports, the 6-K is the main form required of foreign issuers and must be submitted in English.

If the original document to be submitted is in a foreign language, a full English translation or summary of the document must be given. Foreign issuers submit Form 6-K to the SEC electronically through the SEC's EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval) system. A filing that shows "6-K/A" is an amended Form 6-K, filed when material information changes.

Features

• The purpose of SEC Form 6-K is that it lets the burden free from dual reporting for certain non-U.S. issuers.
• SEC Form 6-K is required as a cover page for foreign issuers filing reports, like annual financial reports, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
• The 6-K is likewise a catchall for material information that in the middle of among annual and quarterly financial reports.
• Aside from annual reports, the 6-K is the main form required of foreign issuers and must be submitted in English.