Guide to Checking US Company Financial Report Release Times: Master the 2023 Quarterly Earnings Release Schedule in One Article

For those investing in US stocks, financial reports are like a company’s “report card,” serving as the most important firsthand data for researching publicly traded companies. However, novice investors often get stuck on three main challenges: how to find financial reports, when to see the release dates of each company’s reports, and how to quickly extract key data from heavy financial documents. This article will systematically help you solve these problems.

What exactly are financial reports?

Financial reports are official disclosures of a company’s financial performance submitted quarterly to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Each report contains core data such as revenue, net profit, earnings per share (EPS), cash flow, assets, and liabilities, along with management’s in-depth analysis of quarterly or annual performance and future outlook.

The SEC has standardized requirements for financial data and formats. Among them, GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) is the standardized accounting standard that U.S. listed companies must follow. However, to present more impressive results, many companies also disclose Non-GAAP data (non-GAAP accounting figures) and explain the differences in adjustments between the two. Investors need to pay special attention to potential large gaps between these two types of data.

What categories do US company financial reports fall into?

U.S. stock companies release four financial reports per year: three quarterly reports (Q1, Q2, Q3) plus an annual report that includes data for the fourth quarter.

Quarterly Reports (Form 10-Q)

• Unreviewed financial statements for 3 months
• Cover balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement
• Usually filed with the SEC within 40–45 days after quarter-end

Annual Reports (Form 10-K)

• Audited financial statements for 12 months
• Provide comprehensive industry and market analysis
• Typically filed within 60–90 days after year-end

Earnings Calls

• Scheduled after financial report releases, involving management, analysts, and investors
• Management interprets performance and answers market questions

Mastering the concept of “fiscal year” is crucial

Most listed companies’ fiscal year runs from January 1 to December 31, but not all companies follow the natural calendar year. U.S. stocks allow companies to choose their fiscal year timing freely, which is the concept of “Fiscal Year (FY).”

A fiscal year refers to the period a company independently selects based on its business nature and revenue cycle.

For example:

• Apple Inc. (AAPL) ends its fiscal year on September 24, with Q1 from September 26 to December 25
• Microsoft (MSFT) ends its fiscal year on June 30, with Q1 from July 1 to September 30

This means that when comparing quarterly performance between two companies, you cannot simply compare data from the same calendar months; instead, you need to align their respective fiscal quarters.

US company financial report release schedule in 2023

After understanding the fiscal year concept, you’ll notice that each company’s report release times vary greatly. However, some patterns still exist:

Distribution characteristics

• Many companies tend to release reports within 1–2 weeks after quarter-end (March, June, September, December)
• Almost every day outside holidays, listed companies release new financial reports

How to check Companies usually announce their report release dates in advance on their investor relations websites (search “Company Name + Investor Relations”). For an overall industry calendar, you can refer to:

• Yahoo Finance Earnings Calendar
• Nasdaq Official Earnings Schedule
• Investing.com Global Earnings Dates
• SeekingAlpha Earnings Previews

How to find financial reports on the SEC website?

First, understand SEC document codes

The SEC assigns standardized codes to different document types. Investors need to recognize the following codes related to financial reports:

Note: Foreign companies (e.g., TSMC) are not required to disclose quarterly reports; SEC only mandates U.S. companies to submit quarterly data.

Quick three-step method to find financial reports

Step 1: Visit the SEC website (sec.gov), go to the EDGAR Filings search page

Step 2: Enter the company’s stock ticker or full name in the search bar; for example, Apple (AAPL)

Step 3: On the company page, you will see a list of documents like 10-K (annual report) and 10-Q (quarterly report). Click to view detailed financial information.

The most important parts of a financial report to quickly review

Once you get the financial report, ordinary investors don’t need to read every word. Focus on these sections to grasp the company’s core situation:

Item 1: Business Overview

• Comprehensive explanation of the company’s business model
• Industry operation logic
• Details of new strategies or business expansion
• Essential reading for first-time investors in the company

Item 1A & Item 7A: Risk Disclosures

• Item 1A reveals the company’s operational risks
• Item 7A discloses macro-level risks (exchange rates, policies, etc.)
• These potential risks could significantly impact future performance and require careful review

Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)

• Management’s assessment of the current financial condition
• Comparison with the same period last year or previous quarter
• Explanation of major financial changes
• Forecasts and guidance for the next period
• This section is the core for understanding current operational status

Item 8: The Three Major Financial Statements

The heart of the financial report includes three statements:

1. Income Statement (Statement of Income)

   • Shows revenue, expenses, gains, and losses over a specific period
   • Key indicators: Revenue, Cost of Goods Sold, Operating Profit, Net Income

2. Balance Sheet

   • Reflects the company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity
   • Key indicators: Cash, Long-term Debt, Shareholders’ Equity, Retained Earnings

3. Cash Flow Statement

   • Reveals sources and uses of cash
   • Includes cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities

Why must you look at the financial report instead of just news?

Financial reports are the most objective and authentic firsthand information

Compared to news summaries and analysis reports, financial reports provide the most complete and objective data. News often highlights the company’s positive figures (often Non-GAAP adjusted and sanitized), hiding unfavorable factors in detailed disclosures. SEC regulations require companies to publish both GAAP-standard data and disclose all risk factors and macro/micro challenges, offering a panoramic view that analysis reports cannot match.

Financial reports provide extremely detailed business breakdowns

Beyond income statements and balance sheets, financial reports also break down revenue by business line and region, disclose debt types and interest rates, new asset classifications, stock incentive plans, and more. This granularity allows investors to evaluate the company’s true operational condition from multiple dimensions. Try reviewing the financial reports of Disney (DIS), Amazon (AMZN), or Netflix (NFLX); their business models are often more complex than expected.

Next steps after mastering financial reports: investment decisions

Once you can read and analyze financial reports, the next step is to select quality investment targets and execute trades. U.S. stock investing offers various methods, and investors can choose flexibly based on their risk tolerance and trading style.

Regardless of the investment tools chosen, continuous study of financial reports and making investment decisions based on fundamentals are always the foundation for steady profits.