How to use this glossary

The product renders dozens of distinct labels — transaction codes like P and S, ownership types like direct and indirect, role titles like CFO and director, and filing-context badges like 10b5-1 detected. This page is the canonical reference so a reader never has to guess what a label means in a row. Each entry links to a dedicated detail page for the full definition and methodology; many entries also link directly to the latest feed with the relevant filter applied, so you can move from "what does this mean" to "show me the real filings" in one click.

Glossary entries are organised by category: forms and filing identity first, then the filing lifecycle, then transaction codes, then transaction vocabulary, ownership, insider terminology, roles, filing context, and product surfaces. Use the search box above to jump to a specific term by label, code, or definition keyword.

Forms & filing identity

What each SEC form covers and the identifiers that survive across systems
10 terms
Filing
Medium signalA SEC ownership filing discovered from EDGAR and tracked through ingestion, XML resolution, download, parsing, and processing.
Ownership filing
Medium signalA filing that reports beneficial ownership or intended sale activity.
Form 3 (initial ownership)
Medium signalInitial beneficial ownership statement.
Form 4 (change in ownership)
High signalStatement of changes in beneficial ownership.
Form 5 (annual ownership)
Medium signalAnnual beneficial ownership statement.
Form 144 (notice of proposed sale)
Low signalNotice of proposed sale of restricted or control securities, filed by affiliates when they intend to sell under Rule 144.
Accession number
High signalThe SEC filing identifier assigned by EDGAR at the moment a filing is accepted.
Filing detail URL
Medium signalThe URL of the SEC's filing index page (e.
XML URL
Medium signalThe URL of the SEC XML document for a filing, resolved from the filing detail page.
Raw XML
Medium signalThe SEC XML payload stored locally before parsing.

Filing lifecycle

The states a filing moves through, from EDGAR discovery to normalized row
7 terms
Discovered
Low signalThe filing exists in the local system but its XML URL has not yet been resolved.
XML resolved
Low signalThe filing has a resolved XML URL on file, derived from its filing detail page.
XML downloaded
Low signalThe raw XML payload has been fetched from the SEC and stored locally.
Processed
Medium signalThe filing XML has been parsed and normalized into product tables (reporting owners, transactions, holdings, footnotes).
Failed
Low signalThe filing failed processing and needs retry, inspection, or quarantine behavior.
Parsed filing data
Medium signalThe faithful, filing-shaped representation of reporting owners, derivative transactions, non-derivative transactions, holdings, footnotes, and signatures.
Normalized transaction
High signalA product-facing transaction row derived from parsed filing data and shaped for filtering, display, scoring, and aggregation.

Transaction codes

The single-letter codes that describe what happened
10 terms
P
Open-market or private purchase
High signalCode P reports an open-market or private purchase of a non-derivative or derivative security.
S
Open-market or private sale
High signalCode S reports an open-market or private sale of a non-derivative or derivative security.
A
Grant, award, or acquisition
Medium signalCode A reports a grant, award, or other acquisition under Rule 16b-3(d).
D
Disposition to issuer
Medium signalCode D reports a disposition of issuer equity securities to the issuer under Rule 16b-3(e).
F
Exercise price or tax payment
Low signalCode F reports payment of an exercise price or tax liability by delivering or withholding securities in a Rule 16b-3 transaction.
M
Exercise or conversion
Medium signalCode M reports the exercise or conversion of a derivative security exempt under Rule 16b-3.
X
Exercise of derivative
Medium signalCode X reports the exercise of an in-the-money or at-the-money derivative security, except a transaction reported with code M.
G
Gift
Low signalCode G reports a bona fide gift.
J
Other acquisition or disposition
Low signalCode J reports an acquisition or disposition that does not have a more specific code.
V
Voluntary early report
Low signalCode V indicates that the filer reported a transaction voluntarily before it was required.

Transaction terms

General vocabulary used across transaction rows
4 terms
Holding
Medium signalOwnership reported on a Form 4 without a transaction row.
Transaction code
High signalThe single-letter SEC code that describes the reported transaction (P, S, A, F, M, etc.
Acquisition / disposition (A/D)
Medium signalThe SEC's A or D value indicating whether the transaction acquired or disposed of securities.
Transaction value
Medium signalShares multiplied by price for the transaction.

Ownership

2 terms
Direct ownership
High signalDirect ownership means the reporting owner holds the security in their own name (or a related family name), not through a trust, fund, or other indirect vehicle.
Indirect ownership
High signalIndirect ownership means the reporting owner holds the security through a trust, partnership, fund, LLC, or other vehicle.

Insider terminology

Reporting owner, insider, and role vocabulary
4 terms
Reporting owner
Medium signalThe person or entity reporting ownership in the SEC filing.
Insider
High signalThe product-facing reporting owner — usually an executive, director, officer, or 10% owner.
Insider role
Medium signalA normalized role label derived from the SEC relationship flags and the officer title text.
Officer title
Medium signalThe free-text title reported in the filing (e.

Roles

4 terms
Officer (e.g. CEO, CFO)
Medium signalAn officer of the issuer, named on the Form 4 relationship flags or inferred from the officer title text (e.
Director
Medium signalA director (or former director) of the issuer's board.
10% owner
Medium signalA reporting owner who is a 10% beneficial owner of the issuer's equity.
Other reporting owner
Low signalA reporting owner who is not flagged as an officer, director, or 10% owner.

Filing context

4 terms
10b5-1 language detected
Medium signalThe filing's footnote text contained a 10b5-1 plan reference.
Amended filing
Medium signalThe parent filing is marked as an amendment to a previously filed Form 4.
Derivative transaction
Medium signalThe transaction involves a derivative security (option, warrant, RSU, convertible note).
Non-derivative transaction
Medium signalThe transaction involves a non-derivative security (common stock, preferred stock, or a similar direct equity instrument).

Product surfaces

Pages and features in the current and planned product
8 terms
Latest insider transactions feed
High signalThe main product surface showing recent normalized Form 4 transaction rows.
Company directory
Medium signalA searchable list of companies with processed insider transactions.
Company insider activity page
High signalA company-level view summarizing recent insider transaction activity for one ticker.
Open-market activity
High signalProduct shorthand for Form 4 code-P purchases and code-S sales.
Signal badge
Medium signalA product label that explains why a transaction may matter (e.
Conviction score
Low signalA future product score estimating transaction relevance, planned but not yet implemented.
Watchlist
Low signalA future saved list of tickers or insiders the user wants to revisit.
Alert
Low signalA future notification triggered by matching insider activity (e.

Glossary FAQ

What this reference covers and how to use it

What is this glossary?

Every term, code, ownership type, role, and filing-context label used by The Insiders Post, in one place. Each entry links to a dedicated detail page and, where relevant, to the live feed pre-filtered by that term so you can see real filings using the concept.

Why do you list so many transaction codes (P, S, A, D, F, M, X, G, J, V)?

Form 4 distinguishes purchases, sales, awards, dispositions to the issuer, tax withholding, derivative exercises, gifts, and other categories with single-letter codes. We surface every code the SEC publishes so the same row is never miscategorised; review each filing and its footnotes for the precise context, because code meanings can overlap in edge cases.

How is this glossary different from the SEC's own EDGAR reference?

EDGAR defines filings and field names; we define the terms the product surfaces. The product maps every filing-derived label back to a glossary entry, so a reader who is unsure what 'direct ownership' means in a row can resolve it in one click without leaving the page.

How do you decide which terms to include?

We include every transaction code we render, every ownership type we render, every role label we surface in the UI, every filing-context badge, and every product-surface term that appears in navigation. New terms are added whenever we ship a feature that introduces a new label.

Can I suggest a term to add?

Yes. The terms here track the product's surface, and any label you see in the UI should be discoverable from here. Open the dedicated detail page for a related term and use the in-product feedback link so we can track the request.