Retrieving S-1 filings from EDGAR based on SIC using R

Question

I am trying to analyse the S-1 filings of all Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SIC=6770) but I am having trouble finding a way of getting this data from SEC EDGAR in an efficient way. I have looked into the "edgar" and "edgarWebR" R packages but am yet to find a way of extracting the S-1 filings for such a large amount of companies based only on their SIC code. I think if I could get the CIK codes of all the companies I'm looking for I could work with the existing packages to get the information I need.

If anyone has experience working with edgar what package did you find useful? How could I get the CIK codes for an entire industry?

Answer 1

This isn't a complete answer, but it's too long for a comment and at least will get you started.

With the caveat that I have no familiarity with R, you can start by using the EDGAR API. For example, to get an alphabetical list of all 237 Form S-1 filings made YTD by filers with a 6770 SIC, you can use this link:

https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar?text=FORM-TYPE=S-1+and+ASSIGNED-SIC=6770+&first=2021&last=2021

What you do with this list once you get it is a different issue. I know what I would do with it using python, but for R you'll need the help of someone more familiar with R-based tools.

Good luck - the task ahead isn't easy...