A CIK lookup connects a company name or stock ticker with the CIK number used to identify the filer in SEC records. SEC Filing Data offers company search for manual lookups and a Mapping API for requesting company details in an application.
Start with the name, ticker, or CIK you know, confirm the result matches the intended company, and save the confirmed identifiers for filing research.
1. Understand the company identifiers
A Central Index Key, or CIK, is a unique number assigned by the SEC to an entity or individual submitting filings. A stock ticker is a trading symbol associated with a security. The issuer is the entity that issues the security, so identifying the issuer and identifying a particular security are related tasks.
The distinction matters when you connect stock information with company filings. A ticker helps you start from a traded security; a CIK helps you identify the filer whose disclosures you need.
| Identifier | What it identifies | Example from the mapping documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Company name | The named company | Apple Inc. |
| CIK number | The SEC filer | 0000320193 |
| Stock ticker | A traded security | AAPL |
Keep the CIK as text when recording it so leading zeros remain visible.
2. Find a company’s CIK on SEC Filing Data
Use website search when you want to identify a company manually. You need only one starting value: a company name, ticker, or known CIK.
On SEC Filing Data, enter that value in the “Search Company Name or Ticker or CIK” field and press Enter. The company search results table provides Filer Name, CIK, and State/Country columns. These details help you distinguish candidates before selecting a company. This is the workflow supported by the SEC Filing Data company search.
For a name search, use the legal company name when you know it. A brand or product name may differ from the filer’s name. If you start with a ticker, still check the company identity rather than assuming the symbol alone settles the match.
Compare the name and location with your intended company. Select the matching company name to continue to its filings, and record its CIK number alongside the name. If the website prompts you to sign in, follow the on-screen instructions.
If several candidates look plausible, search again with a more specific name. If no result is convincing, leave the match unresolved; a missing search result does not establish that the company has no filings.
3. Map a ticker to a company through the API
Use the API when you want an application to perform the lookup instead of entering each company in the website search. Requests and results use JSON, a text format applications can process.
Prepare the request
Use an HTTP client, a tool for sending API requests. Set the method to POST, enter https://api.secfilingdata.com/v1/filings/mapping/, and add two headers: Authorization containing your API token directly, and Content-Type set to application/json.
Select a JSON request body and enter the following documentation example. It asks for company details using Apple’s ticker as the starting identifier.
{
"query_type": "ticker",
"query_value": "AAPL"
}The query_type field tells the API which kind of identifier you supplied; ticker means a trading symbol. The query_value field contains the symbol itself. Replace AAPL with your ticker and submit the request.
To start with a CIK instead, set query_type to cik and query_value to your CIK number, such as the documented example 0000320193. Keep both values in quotation marks. SEC Filing Data’s Mapping API accepts query_type and query_value to return company details from a ticker or CIK.
Interpret the company result
The documented success response is an array, meaning a list of company records. Its Apple example contains the identity fields below. These values illustrate the documentation response; they are not results from a live test for this article.
| Response field | Documentation example | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
company_name |
Apple Inc. | Compare the named entity with the company you intended. |
cik_number |
0000320193 |
Retain the filer identifier for subsequent research. |
ticker |
AAPL |
Check the relationship to your input security. |
Inspect each returned candidate before accepting the mapping. A matching name helps identify the company, but it does not establish every security associated with that issuer.
Check the HTTP status before interpreting the body: 200 means success, 204 means no results, 400 means invalid parameters, 401 means unauthorized access or an invalid token, and 500 means an internal server error. Correct request or token errors before assessing coverage. If the server returns 500, treat the lookup as incomplete and try again later.
4. Confirm the issuer and resolve unclear matches
Before using a mapping, check that the company is the issuer you intended. This prevents a plausible-looking result from becoming the basis of unrelated filing research.
Confirm the company identity before using its CIK to connect stock information with filings.
Use this short checklist when a result needs review:
- Compare the company name and available location details with your intended entity.
- Check spelling and use a more specific legal name if the website returns several candidates.
- Review every returned API record rather than automatically selecting the first.
- Keep the original input, accepted CIK, ticker, and lookup date together.
Treat the result as a company match, not a complete list of its securities or past tickers. For a particular share class or historical date, check the relevant company disclosures before using the mapping.
If the relationship remains uncertain, record it as unresolved instead of forcing a match.
5. Continue to the company’s filings
Once you have confirmed the CIK, use it in SEC Filing Data’s filing search. In the sandbox, select “Search Company By Single CIK,” replace the example CIK with yours, and run the filing search using “Show matching filings.” The filing-search sandbox provides an editable request and a JSON output area for this next step.
A company mapping connects identifiers. A filing-search result supplies metadata describing submissions; the original filing document contains the disclosure itself. SEC Filing Data’s Query API can use the confirmed CIK to return filing metadata.
Conclusion
Use SEC Filing Data’s website for a manual CIK lookup or its Mapping API to request company details from a ticker or CIK. Confirm the issuer, retain the identifiers you accepted, and then use the CIK number to continue your filing research.
