CIK number (Central Index Key)

A CIK number is a unique identification code assigned by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to every company that files financial reports with them. Think of it as a company's fingerprint in the SEC's filing system. You'll encounter CIK numbers when digging through SEC filings like 10-Ks (annual reports) or 10-Qs (quarterly reports)—they help you locate a specific company's documents quickly instead of searching by name. For example, if you're researching TechCorp Inc., you'd use its CIK number to pull up all its official filings in one place. It's especially handy because company names can be similar, but every CIK is completely unique.