How to track insider buying with SEC Form 4 data (cluster buys included)
Corporate insiders must report trades on SEC Form 4 within two business days. Open-market purchases (code P) by several insiders at once are a signal many investors watch. This guide shows how to build that screen from primary filings.
Steps
- Open SEC Form 4 Insider Trades on Apify.
- Set a lookback, for example 14 days, and keep transaction code P for open-market buys.
- Turn on cluster detection, for example 3 or more insiders within 14 days.
- Run it; each row is one transaction with ticker, insider role, shares, price and value.
- Schedule it daily in incremental mode to get only new trades.
Example input
{
"lookbackDays": 14,
"transactionCodes": [
"P"
],
"detectClusters": true,
"clusterMinInsiders": 3,
"clusterWindowDays": 14
}
Paste this into the Actor's JSON input on Apify, or pass it to the API with the apify-client library.
Tips
- Exclude 10b5-1 plan trades if you only want discretionary decisions.
- Check the late-filing flag; late filings are less timely.
- Join on ticker to your own price data for backtests.
Limits
Data only, not investment advice. SEC EDGAR rate limits apply, so very large lookbacks take longer.
Pricing and details: SEC Form 4 Insider Trades.