Direct Investment

This information notes whether investors can purchase shares directly from the company. This field will have a value of Y or N. Y indicates the company allows investors to purchase shares directly, and N indicates that it does not.

Benefit

Buying stock directly from the company eliminates brokerage fees.

Origin

Morningstar receives this information from Northstar Financial, Inc. This information is updated Monthly.

For the Pros

All companies with Direct Investment plans (also known as No-Load Stocks) have DRIPs, but not vice versa.