What it is
An 8-K is a current report. A company files one when something material happens. The item number says what kind of event it is.
The items you see most
Item 1.01 is a material agreement. Item 2.02 is results. Item 5.02 is a director or officer change. A filing can carry more than one item. Read each one.
Earnings in item 2.02 are often a press release filed as an exhibit. The tables in the exhibit are the figures. The sentences around them are the company's summary.
How to start
Look at the form type on the cover, then the item number, then the exhibit. A news brief is not a substitute for the exhibit. The filed time is on the header.
The 10-Q and the 10-K are the quarterly and annual books. They are a different form. Start with the form type so you open the right page.
General market news. Not investment advice. The author may hold the Runner Flag name and does not trade it before the 9:30 ET open on the publication day.