Glossary
CIK identifier
CIK identifier is the SEC's Central Index Key - the ten-digit registrant number that keys EDGAR lookups from the browse-edgar filing index (Prologis is CIK=0001045609) to companyfacts JSON paths like CIK0001045609.json, covering self-storage REIT PSA at CIK 1393311. Because tickers change and names merge, this number is what keeps REIT filings data stable to model against.
What is a CIK identifier?
The Central Index Key is how the Securities and Exchange Commission addresses every registrant across EDGAR. Two endpoints in this catalog show both faces of it. The full filing index by CIK serves an HTML/Atom browse page keyed like CIK=0001045609 for Prologis, listing every 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K with document links — verified back to a filing dated 1997-09-18 through submissions pagination.
The XBRL companyfacts API embeds the identical key in its URL pattern: data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001045609.json. That payload returned 586 us-gaap concepts for Prologis at roughly 3.5 MB per large filer. The same numbering covers other property sectors too — the EDGAR Full-Text Search & Filings record names self-storage REITs PSA (CIK 1393311), EXR, CUBE and NSA, and Host Hotels & Resorts answers at CIK 1070750 with 459 us-gaap concepts.
Why does CIK identifier matter when choosing a dataset?
Tickers change, mergers retire names, but the CIK persists — so any REIT financial dataset worth buying keys its rows on CIK. Without it, joining filings data to fundamentals means fuzzy name matching that silently drops entities.
The practical payoff is measurable: one companyfacts call per issuer (~3 MB JSON) replaces scraping thousands of filing documents, and because the same ten digits work in both the filing index and the facts API, verification of any extracted number takes seconds. Access stays free under EDGAR's fair-access policy — no key, just a declared User-Agent and roughly 10 requests per second.
How do you evaluate CIK-based coverage in a data source?
- Resolve a known filer end to end. Prologis CIK=0001045609 should return the same entity on browse-edgar and in
CIK0001045609.json— a mismatch signals stale mappings. - Count concepts per issuer. Verified pulls show 586 us-gaap concepts for Prologis, 662 for Weyerhaeuser (CIK 106535) and 459 for Host Hotels; thin counts suggest partial ingestion.
- Check history depth. The industrial-REITs filing index verifies Prologis back to 1997-09-18, while XBRL facts generally start near the 2009 mandate.
Where to see it in context: industrial-reits data and integrated-oil-gas data.
Related terms
- declared-user-agent — The SEC's stated requirement for automated access to its bulk data sets, paired with observance of polite rate limits.
Frequently asked questions
What does CIK stand for?
Central Index Key. It is the SEC's unique identifier for a registrant, used in EDGAR URLs such as browse-edgar's CIK=0001045609 and companyfacts paths like CIK0001045609.json.
Is a CIK the same as a ticker symbol?
No. Tickers can change or be reused; the CIK is permanent for a registrant. Public Storage is CIK 1393311 regardless of any ticker changes.
Do I need an integration key for CIK-based EDGAR lookups?
No. EDGAR data are commercial delivery terms and key-free; the SEC asks for a declared User-Agent with contact information and polite request rates of about 10 requests per second.
Datasets containing this field
Datasets containing CIK identifier
6 datasets carry cik identifier in the catalog. Open one, count the fields, judge for yourself.
Cushman & Wakefield US Industrial MarketBeat
FTSE Russell Real Estate Index Suite
GitHub REIT Scraper Tooling
ISM Report On Business (PMI) - Industrial REITs Data
Nareit T-Tracker (Quarterly Operational Performance)
quarter · sector · ffo_millions …+5 more
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