5
website, a pre-announced quarterly earnings release or public disclosure documents
filed with the SEC
that are available on the SEC’s website.
Information that is only available to Cato’s employees or to a
select group of analysts, brokers and institutional investors would not
be considered “public” or widely
publicized.
Once the information is published, it is still necessary to wait two full
business days after the release of
the information so that the information can be fully absorbed by
the marketplace. For example, if you
have material, nonpublic information about Cato, and that information
is announced to the public after
trading begins on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on a Monday, you should not trade in Cato
securities until Thursday. Depending on the particular circumstances, the Chief Administrative Officer
may determine that a longer or shorter period should apply to the release
of specific material nonpublic
information.
“Tipping” is also prohibited:
Passing on material nonpublic information is known as “tipping.”
Not
only may the “tipper” have liability for tipping, the “tippee”
may have liability for trading on the
information or passing it along to someone else.
Confidential information should also be protected.
Confidential information is broader than material
nonpublic information. Generally, confidential information includes any nonpublic information
obtained or created in connection with your activities with Cato that might be of use
to competitors
or harmful to Cato or its customers, suppliers, or other partners
if disclosed. While this Policy
restricts your use of material nonpublic information, you are also required to safeguard Cato’s
confidential information. Refer to our
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
, and other relevant
corporate policies for more guidance relating to confidential information.
You
May Not Engage in Speculative Trading
Whether or not you are in possession of material nonpublic information,
engaging in any of the following
is prohibited by this Policy:
●
Short sales of Cato securities (that is, the sale of a security that a seller
does not own or a sale that
is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by, or for the account of, the seller).
●
Transactions in put options, call options or similar derivative Cato securities.
●
Transactions in financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the
market value of Cato’s equity securities, such as prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps
and collars.
Some of these transactions imply an expectation on the part of the
transacting party that the securities will
decline in value, and may signal to the market that the party lacks confidence
in Cato’s prospects. In
addition, since the value of these transactions is based on a decline
in the value of Cato’s securities,
personal gains made in these types of transactions may conflict with
the best interests of Cato and its
shareholders.
Hedging transactions may permit the party to continue to own Cato
securities, but without
the full risks and rewards of ownership, creating a misalignment
between the party’s interests and best
interests of Cato and its shareholders. As importantly, even the most legitimate of these structures may
appear to our investors, regulators and other important stakeholders
as inappropriate and not in line with
the stakeholders’ best interests.
Directors and Executive Officers May Not Use Cato Securities as Collateral
Whether or not you are in possession of material nonpublic information,
all members of the Board of
Directors and the executive officers and their Related Persons are prohibited
from pledging Cato