Morningstar, Inc. Insider Trading Policy
As amended and in effect on January 1, 2025
This Insider Trading Policy (“Policy”) has been adopted by the Board of Directors of
Morningstar, Inc. (“Morningstar” or the “Company”) to promote compliance
with insider trading laws.
This Policy applies to all Covered Parties (as defined in section I), globally. However, substantial
additional requirements relating to securities laws may apply to certain Covered Parties (i.e.,
Board members, executive officers, research analyst or investment management professional of
Morningstar) as described herein and/or supplemental policies or procedures specifically
applicable to their position or business.
The Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the Chief Legal Officer, is authorized to interpret
this Policy and to publish materials that elaborate on its provisions and may adopt non-material
changes to this Policy.
1. Defined Terms
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“Blackout Period” means a period during which specified persons
may not transact in Morningstar Securities.
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“Covered Parties” or “Covered Party” means
all members of the Board, employees (including executive officers and temporary
workers) and consultants and contractors of Morningstar and its subsidiaries and
their Immediate Family Members. Employees and consultants are responsible for
making sure that any transaction in Securities for Immediate Family Members
covered by this Policy comply with this Policy.
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“Immediate Family Members” means: i) all family members, or
anyone else, who resides with a Covered Party; ii) any entity whose Securities
transactions a Covered Party controls, directs or influences; and iii) any
family members who do not live in the Covered Party’s household but whose
securities transactions are directed by the Covered Party or are subject to
their influence or control (including, but not limited to, parents or children
who consult with the Covered Party before they trade in Securities).
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“MNPI” means material, nonpublic information.
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“material information” means any information
that a reasonable investor would consider important in making an
investment decision. Positive or negative information may be
material.
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"nonpublic information” means information that has not
been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors
generally. As a general rule, information is not considered
public until it is considered absorbed and evaluated by
investment markets, for example through posting on Morningstar's
website, press releases, media outlets, or filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Morningstar considers information to be properly disseminated
after completion of one full trading day after the information
is released to the public.
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Examples of MNPI: quarterly or year-end financial or
operating results; significant acquisitions or dispositions;
significant legal proceedings or government investigations;
significant cyber security events; and changes in executive
officers or directors.
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“Securities” includes stocks, debt securities, options,
restricted stock units, warrants and other convertible securities, as well as
derivative instruments.
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“trade” or “trading” or
“transacting” includes any purchase, sale, loan, donation,
gift, or any other transfer or disposition of securities or any offer to engage
in the transactions above.
2. Insider Trading Prohibition
Covered Party(ies) may not trade a Security of Morningstar or direct any other person to trade a
Security of Morningstar while being aware of MNPI concerning that Security or Morningstar, nor
may a Covered Party communicate or “tip” to any other person any such MNPI.
In addition, Covered Parties who, in the course of their work, learn of MNPI about another company,
may not trade in Securities of that company, or direct any other person to trade in Securities
of that company, and may not communicate or “tip” to any other person any such MNPI.
If a Covered Party is aware of MNPI concerning Morningstar when his or her employment or service
relationship terminates, that person may not trade in Morningstar Securities until that
information has been publicly released or is no longer material.
3. Limits on Trades in Morningstar Securities – Blackout Periods
There are two types of Blackout Periods Morningstar uses:
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“Quarterly Earnings Blackout Periods” Covered Parties may not
transact in Morningstar Securities during the period beginning on the close of
trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the last day of the applicable
Morningstar fiscal quarter and ending at the open of business on the second
business day after the date of the public release of the financial results for
the fiscal quarter or year (for example, by means of a press release or a
government filing). Morningstar’s Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, or
their designees, will provide notification to Covered Parties alerting them when
a quarterly Blackout Period begins and ends. However, absence of that
notification does not relieve Covered Parties from compliance with this section
III.
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“Event-Specific Blackout Periods” Morningstar reserves the right
to impose trading Blackout Periods from time to time when, in the judgment of
Morningstar’s Chief Legal Officer, or his or her designees, a Blackout
Period is warranted. A Blackout Period may be imposed for any reason, including
Morningstar’s involvement in a material transaction, legal matter, or
other event. The existence of, or rationale for, an event-specific Blackout
Period may be announced only to those who are aware of the transaction or event
giving rise to the Blackout Period. If a Covered Party is made aware of the
existence of an event-specific Blackout Period, that Covered Party should not
disclose the existence of such Blackout Period to any other person. Individuals
that are subject to event-specific Blackout Periods will be contacted by the
Morningstar’s Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, or their
designees, when these periods are instituted and may not transact in Morningstar
Securities until they have been notified by the Chief Legal Officer, or his or
her designees, that the Event- Specific Blackout Period has expired.
Even if a Blackout Period is not then in effect, a Covered Party may not trade in Morningstar
Securities if they are aware of MNPI about Morningstar. The prohibition on trading while being
aware of MNPI about Morningstar extends to transactions in shares issued upon exercise of stock
options or upon vesting of restricted stock units granted under a Morningstar stock incentive
plan.
4. Trading Pre-Clearance Requirement for Certain Covered Parties
Members of the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team, and other individuals who have been
notified by the Company that they are subject to the trading pre-clearance requirements set
forth in this Policy, must obtain pre-clearance from Morningstar’s Chief Legal Officer,
Corporate Secretary or their designees (each an “Approving Person”) before engaging in any
transaction involving Morningstar Securities, including, for the avoidance of doubt, gifts and
entry into 10b5-1 plans (as defined below). All individuals who are required to obtain
pre-clearance will be notified from time to time by the Approving Persons, of the applicable
pre-clearance or other procedures applicable to them.
The Approving Persons are under no obligation to approve a transaction submitted for pre-clearance
and may determine not to permit a transaction, even if it would not violate federal securities
laws or a specific provision of this Policy. The fact that a particular intended trade has been
denied pre-clearance should be treated as confidential information and should not be disclosed
to any person unless authorized by the Approving Person.
If a request for pre-clearance is approved, the individual receiving pre-clearance has 72 hours to
effect the transaction (or, if sooner, before commencement of a Quarterly Earnings or
Event-Specific Blackout Period). If an individual who has received pre-clearance becomes aware
of MNPI after receiving pre-clearance, but before the trade has been executed, that individual
must not effect the pre-cleared transaction.
Morningstar’s approval of any particular transaction under this pre-clearance procedure does
not insulate any person who receives such pre- clearance from liability under the securities
laws and does not constitute legal advice. Under the applicable laws, the ultimate
responsibility for determining whether an individual is aware of MPNI about Morningstar rests
with that individual in all cases.
5. Other Restrictions
Morningstar considers it improper and inappropriate for Covered Parties to engage in short-term or
speculative transactions in Morningstar Securities or in other transactions in Morningstar
Securities that may lead to inadvertent violations of insider trading laws. Accordingly,
transactions by Covered Parties in Morningstar Securities are subject to the following
restrictions:
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Short Sales. A Covered Party may not engage in short sales of Morningstar Securities
(sales of Securities that are not then owned), including a “sale against
the box” (a sale with delayed delivery).
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Publicly Traded Options. A Covered Party may not engage in transactions in publicly
traded options on Morningstar Securities (such as puts, calls, and other
derivative securities) on an exchange or in any other organized market,
including over-the-counter or custom options.
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Derivatives and Hedging Transactions. A Covered Party may not enter into derivative
or hedging transactions intended to reduce their risk of owning Morningstar
Securities, while still maintaining ownership of such Securities.
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Standing Orders. A standing order is an instruction given to a broker to trade
Securities on specific terms provided by the individual placing the “order”.
Standing orders should only be placed for a brief duration of time, which should
not exceed 72 hours. A standing order that is placed during an open trading
window must not remain open such that a trade would execute during a Blackout
Period. A standing order placed with a broker to trade stock at a specified
price leaves the individual with no control over the timing of the transaction.
A standing order transaction executed by the broker when a Covered Party is
aware of MNPI may result in unlawful insider trading even if the standing order
was placed at a time when the Covered Party did not possess MNPI.
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Margin Accounts and Pledges. A Covered Party may not pledge more than 15% of the
total number of Morningstar Securities which they beneficially own as collateral
for a loan, or hold more than that number of Morningstar Securities in a margin
account. Securities held in a margin account or pledged as collateral for a loan
may be sold by the broker if a Covered Party fails to meet a margin call or by
the lender in foreclosure if the Covered Party defaults on the loan. A Covered
Party may not have control over these transactions as the Securities may be sold
at certain times without the Covered Party’s consent. A margin or
foreclosure sale that occurs when a Covered Party is aware of MNPI may, under
some circumstances, result in unlawful insider trading. A margin or foreclosure
sale of a significant number of Morningstar Securities at one time could put
undue pressure on the price of those Securities, to the detriment of
shareholders or other market participants. Because of this danger, a Covered
Party should exercise caution in holding any Morningstar Securities in a margin
account or pledging Morningstar Securities as collateral for a loan and must
report such activity to the Chief Legal Officer, or his or her designees, for
monitoring.
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Trading on a Short-Term basis. Any Morningstar Security purchased on the open market
by a member of the Board or any Morningstar executive officer (the "Reporting
Persons") or their immediate family members must be held for a minimum of six
(6) months and are subject to short-swing profit liability. 10b5-1 plans do not
exempt individuals from complying with short-swing profit rules or liability
under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”).
6. Transactions Not Subject to this Policy
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The withholding by Morningstar of shares to satisfy a tax obligation of an employee
relating to the vesting or exercise of an equity award made under any of
Morningstar’s stock-based compensation plans is not prohibited by this Policy.
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Transferring fully vested Morningstar Securities between brokerage accounts does not
constitute a “transaction” for purposes of this Policy.
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Accepting a grant of Securities issued to you by Morningstar does not constitute a “transaction” for purposes of this Policy.
7. 10b5-1 Plans
Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act permits insiders of a company to establish written trading
plans (commonly referred to as “10b5-1 plans”) that can be useful in enabling
insiders to plan ahead and reduce the risk of trading on the basis of MPNI, or the appearance of
trading on the basis of MNPI. Provided a 10b5-1 plan is approved in accordance with this Policy,
individual trades executed as specified by a 10b5-1 plan are not subject to the pre-clearance
procedures or Blackout Periods set forth above.
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Qualifications
To qualify as a 10b5-1 plan for purposes of this Policy, the
plan must be approved in advance by an Approving Person. Individuals requesting
approval of a 10b5-1 plan should allow at least five business days for that
approval. One of the factors that the Approving Person, may consider in
determining whether to approve a 10b5-1 plan is compliance with
Morningstar’s applicable stock retention requirements.
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Requirements
A 10b5-1 plan must meet the following minimum requirements:
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10b5-1 plans can only be adopted or modified (or terminated) when the
requesting person is not aware of MNPI and there are no Blackout
Periods;
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10b5-1 plans are subject to a cooling-off period between adoption or
modification of a plan and trading. The length of the cooling-
off period depends on who you are:
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For all Reporting Persons, the first trade under the
10b5-1 plan may not occur until after the later
of (a) 90-days after the adoption, or
modification, of the Rule 10b5-1 Plan or (b) two
business days following disclosure in Form 10-K
or 10-Q of the Company’s financial results for
the fiscal quarter in which the 10b5-1 plan was
adopted or modified (but not to exceed 120 days
after adoption or modification of the Rule
10b5-1 Plan).
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For all others, the first trade under the 10b5-1 plan
may not occur until 30-days following the 10b5-1
plan adoption or modification.
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For the avoidance of doubt, these cooling-off periods
do not apply to 10b5-1 plans adopted by
Morningstar.
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10b5-1 plans must have a minimum term length of six months from
adoption;
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10b5-1 plans designed to effect one open-market trade of the total
amount of Securities are permitted, but only one such single-
trade 10b5-1 plan is permitted over the course of a 12-month
period; and
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10b5-1 plans must include a representation in the plan certifying
that at the time of adoption or modification of the 10b5-1 plan,
the individual (i) is not aware of MNPI about the issuer or its
Securities and (ii) the individual is adopting the contract,
instruction or plan in good faith and not as part of a plan or
scheme to evade the prohibitions of Rule 10b5-1.
For more information about how to establish a 10b5-1 plan, contact the Approving Persons. Morningstar
reserves the right to disapprove any submitted plan, and to suspend or instruct an individual to
terminate any 10b5-1 plan that it has previously approved. An Approving Person’s, approval
of any 10b5-1 plan is not a determination by the Company or the Chief Legal Officer that any
specific 10b5-1 plan is sufficient to satisfy the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange
Act.
Morningstar discloses the adoption, modification, and termination of 10b5-1 plans and certain other
pre-set trading arrangements by its Reporting Persons in its quarterly reporting with the SEC on
Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
8. Violations
The Chief Legal Officer, or his or her designees, investigates any allegation of insider trading or
violations of this Policy involving a Covered Party. Upon determining that a violation or
possible insider trading violation has occurred, the Chief Legal Officer, or his or her
designees, will report its recommendation for resolution to the Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer. They will review the Chief Legal Officer's findings and will discuss
the matter with the Covered Party believed to have violated the policy as appropriate.
The Chief Executive Officer in consultation with the Chief Legal Officer may impose sanctions against
the Covered Party, as they deem appropriate under the circumstances.
Appropriate sanctions may include, without limitation:
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The immediate unwinding of the transaction.
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A forfeiture of any profit from the transaction.
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Termination of employment.
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Notification by Morningstar to the CFA Institute or other professional standards
bodies for employees who are CFA charter holders or candidates in the CFA
program.
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For insider trading violations, notification by Morningstar to the SEC or other
relevant authority, if deemed appropriate, of the alleged violation and
cooperation with the SEC or other local authority in any enforcement action
and/or prosecution of the individual(s) involved.
9. Reporting Requirements
Any Covered Party who suspects that this Policy has been or may have been violated should immediately
notify the Chief Legal Officer or Corporate Secretary or may utilize the Morningstar Ethics
Hotline. The Morningstar Ethics Hotline, which is confidential, is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week at morningstar.ethicspoint.com.
When in doubt about the appropriateness of any conduct related to this Policy, contact the Chief
Legal Officer or Corporate Secretary to seek guidance before taking any action.