> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.insighthread.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Research Any Public Stock Using Insighthread

> A step-by-step guide to using Insighthread to research any public company — from finding it to reading filings, checking financials, and asking AI.

Insighthread gives you everything you need to research a public company in one place — SEC filings, financial history, insider trades, earnings transcripts, and AI-powered analysis. This guide walks you through a complete research workflow for a single company, from your first search to a well-rounded view of its fundamentals, management behavior, and recent developments.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the Company">
    Use the search bar at the top of the app to locate any US-listed public company. You can search by ticker symbol (e.g., `NVDA`) or by company name (e.g., `Nvidia`). Insighthread covers 6,000+ companies across all major US exchanges.

    Select the company from the results to open its dedicated research page. Everything from this point is scoped to that one company.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the Company Profile">
    The company profile page is your starting point. It gives you a high-level picture before you dig into any specific data set.

    Look for:

    * **Price chart** — recent price action and volume
    * **AI summary** — a plain-English snapshot of what the company does, its current position, and any recent notable developments
    * **Recent events** — a quick log of the most recent SEC-sourced events (earnings, filings, insider moves, corporate actions) with impact signals

    Use this overview to orient yourself and decide where to drill in next.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read Recent Filings">
    Open the **Filings** tab to see the company's SEC filing history. Start with the most recent **10-Q** (quarterly report) or **8-K** (material event disclosure) to understand what's changed recently.

    For any filing, click to open the document. From there, launch **AI Chat** — the chat is context-aware when you're on a company page, so you can ask questions like:

    * "What are the key risks mentioned in this filing?"
    * "Summarize the revenue discussion in this 10-Q."
    * "Did management change any forward guidance here?"

    Insighthread surfaces filings within 60 seconds of them hitting SEC EDGAR, so you're always looking at the latest available disclosure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Financial History">
    Open the **Financials** tab to review up to 10+ years of reported financial data across income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

    Pay particular attention to trends over time, not just the most recent quarter:

    * **Cash position** — is the company building or burning cash?
    * **Revenue direction** — sustained growth, stagnation, or decline?
    * **Debt levels** — has leverage been increasing, and how does it compare to peers?

    Use the chart view to visualize multi-period trends quickly rather than reading raw numbers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check Insider Activity">
    Open the **Insider Trades** tab to review recent Form 4 filings for this company. This shows you what executives, directors, and major shareholders have been buying or selling — and when.

    Look for:

    * **Conviction Score** — a high score indicates a meaningful open-market purchase by a senior insider; a low score may indicate a routine option exercise
    * **Cluster signals** — multiple insiders buying around the same time carries more weight than a single transaction
    * **Transaction type** — open-market purchases are the most significant; grants and option exercises are routine

    Insider behavior won't tell you everything, but it's a useful signal about how management views the company's near-term outlook.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read Recent Earnings">
    Open the **Earnings** tab to access full transcripts from recent earnings calls, complete with AI-powered analysis.

    From the most recent earnings report:

    * Review the **AI tone analysis** — did management sound confident, cautious, or evasive?
    * Check **key guidance** — what did leadership say about the next quarter and full year?
    * Read the **Q\&A section** — analyst questions often surface topics management didn't volunteer in prepared remarks

    Ask AI Chat follow-up questions directly: "What did the CEO say about margin pressure?" or "Summarize the guidance changes from last quarter."
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The research tools on Insighthread are provided for informational purposes only. Nothing on this platform constitutes investment advice. Always conduct your own due diligence before making any investment decision.
</Note>

<Tip>
  Start with a broad AI question like "Give me an overview of this company's recent performance" to orient yourself before drilling into individual tabs. It surfaces the most relevant context fast and helps you decide where to focus.
</Tip>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI Chat" icon="message-bot" href="/features/ai-chat">
    Learn how Insighthread's context-aware AI Chat works and how to get the most from it during your research.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Insider Trades" icon="user-tie" href="/features/insider-trades">
    Dive deeper into Conviction Scores, cluster signals, and how to interpret Form 4 disclosures.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [Company Profiles: Deep Research on Any Public Stock](/features/company-profiles.md)
- [Insighthread Quickstart: From Sign-Up to First AI Query](/quickstart.md)
- [Using Watchlists to Personalize Your Research Feed](/guides/use-watchlists.md)
- [How to Track Insider Trading Activity on Insighthread](/guides/track-insiders.md)
- [What Is Insighthread? AI Stock Research Explained](/introduction.md)