For both new and tenured investors, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the number of data releases that drive trading activity in the stock market. A seemingly never-ending sea of earnings releases and economic data can allow an important data release to slip through the cracks.

One of the most important data dumps of the entire quarter occurred earlier this week. May 15 was the deadline for institutional money managers with at least $100 million in assets under management to file Form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A 13F provides an under-the-hood look at what Wall Street's smartest investors chose to buy, sell, and hold during the most recent quarter.

Although 13Fs have their drawbacks -- they're often a 45-day-old snapshot when filed -- they can give investors clues about the stocks and trends that are piquing the attention of Wall Street's most successful investors.

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Source Fool.com