What Is Form 13F? A Guide to Institutional Holdings
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What a 13F can answer
It can show which securities a tracked manager disclosed at quarter-end, each position's reported value, and whether positions were opened, increased, reduced or closed between filings. GuruTrack's manager, stock and quarter pages are built from these public reports.
What a 13F cannot answer
It generally does not reveal shorts, cash, most bonds or many foreign-listed securities. It also cannot confirm that a manager still owns a position, the true cost basis, hedges or investment thesis. Reported options must be interpreted separately from common stock and are not a simple bullish or bearish signal.
A real filing: holdings date vs. filing date
Berkshire Hathaway filed this report on February 14, 2025, for holdings as of December 31, 2024. Open the filing, check Period of Report, then follow Information Table to the security-level rows. These are year-end holdings, not purchases on the filing date. To study position changes, compare the same security's share count with the previous quarter; a change in reported value alone does not establish a purchase or sale.
Open Berkshire's year-end 2024 filingWhat Form 13F shows, omits and when
| What it shows | What it omits | Timing boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Covered long Section 13(f) securities at quarter-end, including reported amount and value | Shorts, cash, most bonds, many foreign securities, the complete trade path and true cost basis | A quarter-end snapshot generally due within 45 days; amendments can follow |
GuruTrack's cross-manager views use each manager's latest eligible filing. Because filing schedules differ, one view can contain snapshots from the newest and immediately preceding quarters.
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This page is a general educational explanation based on the cited public sources. It is not legal or investment advice. Always verify the latest rule and original filing.