UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.  20549
______________________________
 
FORM 8-K
 
______________________________
 
CURRENT REPORT
 
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  October 27, 2015

MORNINGSTAR, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Illinois 
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
 	 	000-51280 
(Commission
File Number)
 	 	36-3297908 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
 	
 	 	22 West Washington Street 
Chicago, Illinois
(Address of principal executive offices)
 	 	 
60602 
(Zip Code)
 	
 	 	(312) 696-6000 
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)	 	 	
 
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
__________________________________
 
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
 
o    Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
o    Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 
Item 5.02  Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
 
On October 27, 2015, Morningstar, Inc. appointed Kunal Kapoor, 40, as president of the company, a new position, effective immediately.  Kunal previously served as Morningstar’s head of global products and client solutions.
 
Kunal has held a number of leadership roles since joining the company in 1997.  Kunal became head of global client solutions starting in 2013 and took on additional responsibility for the products group in February 2014.  For part of 2013, he was president of the data division, and from 2010 until 2012, he was president of equity and market data/software.  In 2009 and 2010, he was president of individual software.
 
A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 9.01  Financial Statements and Exhibits.
 
(d)                               Exhibits:
 
Exhibit No.                                                                          Description
 
99.1                                                                                                                     Press Release dated October 27, 2015.
 
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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 	MORNINGSTAR, INC.	

Date: October 28, 2015	By:	/s/ Stéphane Biehler	
 	Name:	Stéphane Biehler	
 	Title:	Chief Financial Officer	
 
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Exhibit 99.1

 

 
 
Media Contact:
 
Margaret Kirch Cohen, +1 312 696-6383 or margaret.cohen@morningstar.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Morningstar Names Kunal Kapoor President

CHICAGO, Oct. 27, 2015—Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced that Kunal Kapoor, CFA, 40, has been named president of the company, a new position. Kapoor, who previously served as head of global products and client solutions, will add responsibility for sales, marketing, and product development. He will continue to report to Joe Mansueto, chairman and chief executive officer.
 
Kapoor’s objective will be to further Morningstar’s mission of serving investors around the world by creating user-centric products built on Morningstar’s innovative, investor-focused research.
 
“Kunal is a trusted leader who consistently delivers results. As president, he will prioritize strategic initiatives, with a focus on operational excellence and future growth,” Mansueto said. “The decisions facing investors are increasingly complicated because of new technology, channels, and regulations. Morningstar has an important role to play in helping investors respond to these challenges, and Kunal’s leadership and experience will help us accelerate innovation on behalf of investors worldwide.”
 
“Morningstar’s market position and strategy has never been more compelling, and we’ve earned the trust of investors,” Kapoor said. “I’m excited about leading the company to its next phase of innovation. We plan to accelerate the rollout of new experiences for Morningstar.com and Morningstar Retirement Manager; deliver even more solutions through Morningstar Direct Cloud; tighten the integration of our advisor-facing capabilities; and deploy our unique data and research capabilities in the environmental, social, and governance investing space.”
 
Kapoor has held a number of leadership roles since joining Morningstar in 1997, including director of mutual fund analysis, director of business strategy for international operations, president and chief

 
investment officer of Morningstar Investment Services, and head of Morningstar.com and the firm’s data business. During that time, Morningstar has grown from about 300 employees and $40 million in revenue to 3,760 employees and $760 million in revenue, while completing its initial public offering through an OpenIPO, extending its operations into 27 countries, and building a trusted global brand.
 
About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on more than 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 17 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $170 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2015. The company has operations in 27 countries.
 
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