# SEC Form 4 Insider Buying — Cluster Signal Scanner (`datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters`) Actor

Scan SEC EDGAR Form 4 filings for clusters of insider open-market buying and get scored bullish signals. A cheaper, self-serve alternative to InsiderScore & Fintel for traders, quants and fintech apps.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters.md
- **Developed by:** [DataSignals Lab](https://apify.com/datasignalslab) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Agents, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.20 / cluster signal

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## SEC Form 4 Insider Buying - Cluster Signal Scanner

**Find clusters of insider open-market buying from SEC Form 4 filings - scored and ranked for research and screening.** When multiple company insiders (CEO, CFO, directors) buy their own stock within a short window, it's a widely studied pattern in quantitative-finance research. This Actor scans real-time SEC EDGAR Form 4 filings, groups open-market purchases by company, and returns **ranked, scored insider buy clusters** - not a raw data dump.

> Insider **cluster buying** has a larger price impact than isolated insider buys. This Actor surfaces those clusters automatically.

**Real example (from live SEC data):** *AADX - 4 insiders **including the CFO** bought **$1.17M** of stock on the same day -> score **71.7 (MODERATE)**.* That is the kind of pattern this Actor surfaces for you, ranked and scored.

### Why this is different

Most insider-trading scrapers give you **raw Form 4 rows** - every grant, tax-withholding and option exercise mixed together - and leave the analysis to you. This Actor delivers the **signal**:

- Filters to **open-market purchases only** (transaction code `P`) - the buys most relevant for screening.
- Detects **clusters**: ≥ N different insiders buying the **same** stock within your lookback window.
- **Scores** each cluster 0-100 (with a `STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK` label) by number of insiders, total USD value, and seniority (a CEO/CFO buy weighs more than a junior officer).
- Returns clean, ranked JSON ready for your dashboard, model or alert.
- Includes a `sec_url` with every cluster, so you can verify the raw filings on SEC EDGAR in one click.

A self-serve, pay-per-result alternative to premium platforms like **InsiderScore** and **Fintel** (which run $99-$499/month).

### Who it's for

- **Retail quants & algo traders** - a ready-made insider-buying dataset for research and screening.
- **Fintech & trading apps** - drop scored insider signals into your product.
- **Research & newsletters** - surface notable insider clusters daily.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `daysLookback` | integer | 3 | Trading days of Form 4 filings to scan. |
| `minInsiders` | integer | 2 | Minimum **distinct** insiders buying the same stock to count as a cluster. |
| `minClusterValue` | integer | 0 | Only return clusters worth at least this much (USD). |
| `maxFilings` | integer | 500 | Upper bound on filings scanned (controls run time & cost). |

### Output

Each item is one scored insider-buy cluster:

```json
{
 "ticker": "AADX",
 "issuer": "Applied Aerospace & Defense, Inc.",
 "cik": "0002118195",
 "num_insiders": 4,
 "total_value": 1170000.0,
 "num_buys": 4,
 "avg_seniority": 0.6,
 "score": 71.7,
 "label": "MODERATE",
 "buys": [
 { "owner": "McRae Jeffrey L.", "role": "Chief Financial Officer",
 "shares": 25000, "price": 20.0, "value": 500000.0, "date": "2026-06-04" },
 { "owner": "Katzman James C", "role": "Director",
 "shares": 25000, "price": 20.0, "value": 500000.0, "date": "2026-06-04" }
 ]
}
````

*(Real cluster detected by this Actor in live SEC data: 4 insiders incl. the CFO bought $1.17M of the same stock on the same day.)*

### How the score works (transparent)

```
score = insiders (up to 55 pts) + log10(total $) (up to 30 pts) + seniority (up to 15 pts)
labels: STRONG ≥ 75 · MODERATE ≥ 50 · WEAK < 50
```

No black box: more distinct insiders, more dollars, and more senior buyers (CEO/CFO) push the score up.

### Pricing

**Pay-per-event** - you pay only for each delivered cluster signal. No subscription, no charge when there are no clusters. Run it on a schedule (e.g. daily) and only pay for real, scored signals.

### Data source & compliance

- Source: **SEC EDGAR** Form 4 filings - public-domain U.S. regulatory data, free and legal to use.
- No personal/contact data is collected - only public corporate filing facts (issuer, insider name & role as disclosed in the filing, transaction details).
- Respects SEC fair-access (descriptive User-Agent, rate-limited).

### FAQ

**Why are some runs empty?** Open-market insider *buy clusters* are genuinely rare - that's exactly why they're a signal. Run daily on a schedule and let signals accumulate, or increase `daysLookback`.

**Does it include sells?** No - it covers cluster *buying* (code `P`). Sells, grants and option exercises are intentionally excluded.

**Real-time?** Form 4 filings appear on EDGAR within seconds of submission; this Actor reads the latest daily filings each run.

***

*Keywords: SEC Form 4, insider trading, insider buying, insider cluster, cluster buying signal, SEC EDGAR scraper, insider buy alerts, insider buying data, insider transactions API, insider screening data, quant research data.*

***

**Note:** Provided as data for research, screening and monitoring - not investment advice. Historical patterns do not guarantee future results.

# Actor input Schema

## `daysLookback` (type: `integer`):

How many trading days of SEC Form 4 filings to scan for insider buy clusters.

## `minInsiders` (type: `integer`):

A cluster requires at least this many DIFFERENT insiders buying the same stock (open-market, code P). 2 = standard cluster signal.

## `minClusterValue` (type: `integer`):

Only return clusters whose total insider-buy value is at least this amount. 0 = no filter.

## `maxFilings` (type: `integer`):

Upper bound on Form 4 filings to fetch & parse (controls run time and cost).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "daysLookback": 3,
  "minInsiders": 2,
  "minClusterValue": 0,
  "maxFilings": 500
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=datasignalslab/sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "SEC Form 4 Insider Buying — Cluster Signal Scanner",
        "description": "Scan SEC EDGAR Form 4 filings for clusters of insider open-market buying and get scored bullish signals. A cheaper, self-serve alternative to InsiderScore & Fintel for traders, quants and fintech apps.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "kA1BZvHt9Dq7ZN5mb"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/datasignalslab~sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-datasignalslab-sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/datasignalslab~sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-datasignalslab-sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/datasignalslab~sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-datasignalslab-sec-form4-insider-buying-clusters",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "daysLookback": {
                        "title": "Days to look back",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 30,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "How many trading days of SEC Form 4 filings to scan for insider buy clusters.",
                        "default": 3
                    },
                    "minInsiders": {
                        "title": "Minimum distinct insiders",
                        "minimum": 2,
                        "maximum": 10,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "A cluster requires at least this many DIFFERENT insiders buying the same stock (open-market, code P). 2 = standard cluster signal.",
                        "default": 2
                    },
                    "minClusterValue": {
                        "title": "Minimum cluster value (USD)",
                        "minimum": 0,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Only return clusters whose total insider-buy value is at least this amount. 0 = no filter.",
                        "default": 0
                    },
                    "maxFilings": {
                        "title": "Max filings to scan",
                        "minimum": 50,
                        "maximum": 3000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Upper bound on Form 4 filings to fetch & parse (controls run time and cost).",
                        "default": 500
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```