As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27, 2014
Registration No. 333-                     
 
  UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
 
DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
 
 
Ohio
 
65-0190407
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
 
 
325 John H. McConnell Blvd., Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio
 
43215
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
 
(Zip Code)
  DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.
2014 EQUITY AND CASH INCENTIVE PLAN
(Full title of the plan)
 
 
 
 
R. H. Dillon
President and Chief Executive Officer
Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.
325 John H. McConnell Blvd., Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43215
 
Copy to:
Jason L. Hodges, Esq.
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
301 East Fourth Street
Suite 3500, Great American Tower
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
(Name and address of agent for service)
 
 
(614) 255-3333
(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a small reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Large accelerated filer
 
¨
  
Accelerated filer
 
ý
 
 
 
 
Non-accelerated filer
 
¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
  
Smaller reporting company
 
¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of securities
to be registered
 
Amount
to be
registered (1)
 
Proposed maximum
offering price
per share (2)
 
Proposed maximum
aggregate offering
price (2)
 
Amount of
registration
fee
Common Shares, without par value
 
600,000
 
$127.55
 
$76,530,000
 
$9,857.06
(1)
In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement on Form S-8 also covers an indeterminate number of additional Common Shares that may become issuable under the terms of the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan to prevent dilution resulting from any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization (including payment of an extraordinary dividend), merger, reorganization, consolidation, combination, spin-off, distribution of assets to shareholders, stock exchange or any other similar transaction or adjustment affecting the Common Shares.
(2)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the aggregate offering price and the registration fee pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and computed on the basis of $127.55 per share, which represents the average of the high and the low prices of the Common Shares as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on June 25, 2014.






PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) is being filed by Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. (the "Registrant," the "Company," "we" or "us") with respect to the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to participants in the Plan as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Item 3.        Incorporation of Documents by Reference. 

We hereby incorporate into this Registration Statement by reference the following documents that we have previously filed with the Commission:
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, filed by with the Commission on March 7, 2014;
the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, filed with the Commission on April 30, 2014
The Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 3, 2014; February 4, 2014; February 28, 2014; March 4, 2014; April 1, 2014; May 2, 2014; May 5, 2014; June 3, 2014 and
the description of the Company’s Common Shares contained in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on June 27, 2014, or contained in any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.
All documents which we may file the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered under the Plan pursuant to this Registration Statement have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated into this Registration Statement by reference and to be made a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. To the extent that any information contained in any Current Report on Form 8-K, or any exhibit thereto, is furnished to, rather than filed with, the Commission, such information or exhibit is specifically not incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.
Any statement contained in this Registration Statement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in any subsequently filed document which also is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or supersedes such earlier statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4.        Description of Securities. 

Not Applicable.

Item 5.        Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. 

Not Applicable.

Item 6.        Indemnification of Directors and Officers. 

Ohio Revised Code . Division (E) of Section 1701.13 of the Ohio Revised Code governs indemnification by an Ohio corporation and provides as follows:





(1) A corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney's fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit, or proceeding, if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if the person had no reasonable cause to believe the person's conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit, or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, the person had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
(2) A corporation may indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending, or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any of the following:
(a) Any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of the person's duty to the corporation unless, and only to the extent that, the court of common pleas or the court in which such action or suit was brought determines, upon application, that, despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court of common pleas or such other court shall deem proper;
(b) Any action or suit in which the only liability asserted against a director is pursuant to section 1701.95 of the Revised Code.
(3) To the extent that a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter in the action, suit, or proceeding, the person shall be indemnified against expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the action, suit, or proceeding.
(4) Any indemnification under division (E)(1) or (2) of this section, unless ordered by a court, shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case, upon a determination that indemnification of the director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section. Such determination shall be made as follows:
(a) By a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors of the indemnifying corporation who were not and are not parties to or threatened with the action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section;
(b) If the quorum described in division (E)(4)(a) of this section is not obtainable or if a majority vote of a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, in a written opinion by independent legal counsel other than an attorney, or a firm having associated with it an attorney, who has been retained by or who has performed services for the corporation or any person to be indemnified within the past five years;
(c) By the shareholders;
(d) By the court of common pleas or the court in which the action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section was brought.Any determination made by the disinterested directors under division (E)(4)(a) or by independent legal counsel under division (E)(4)(b) of this section shall be promptly communicated to the person who threatened or brought the action or suit by or in the right of the corporation under division (E)(2) of this section, and, within ten days after receipt of such notification, the person shall have the right to petition the court of common pleas or the court in which such action or suit was brought to review the reasonableness of such determination.
(5) (a) Unless at the time of a director’s act or omission that is the subject of an action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section, the articles or the regulations of a corporation state, by specific reference to this division, that the provisions of this division do not apply to the corporation and unless the only liability asserted against a





director in an action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section is pursuant to section 1701.95 of the Revised Code, expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred by a director in defending the action, suit, or proceeding shall be paid by the corporation as they are incurred, in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit, or proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director in which he agrees to do both of the following:
(i) Repay such amount if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence in a court of competent jurisdiction that the director's action or failure to act involved an act or omission undertaken with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or undertaken with reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation;
(ii) Reasonably cooperate with the corporation concerning the action, suit, or proceeding.
(b) Expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred by a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent in defending any action, suit, or proceeding referred to in division (E)(1) or (2) of this section, may be paid by the corporation as they are incurred, in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit, or proceeding, as authorized by the directors in the specific case, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent to repay such amount, if it ultimately is determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation.
 (6) The indemnification or advancement of expenses authorized by this section shall not be exclusive of, and shall be in addition to, any other rights granted to those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses under the articles, the regulations, any agreement, a vote of shareholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to action in their official capacities and as to action in another capacity while holding their offices or positions, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the articles or the regulations shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to that provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that becomes the subject of civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit, or proceeding for which the indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of the act or omission explicitly authorizes that elimination or impairment after the act or omission has occurred.
(7) A corporation may purchase and maintain insurance or furnish similar protection, including, but not limited to, trust funds, letters of credit, or self-insurance, on behalf of or for any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in any such capacity, or arising out of the person's status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the person against that liability under this section. Insurance may be purchased from or maintained with a person in which the corporation has a financial interest.
(8) The authority of a corporation to indemnify persons pursuant to division (E)(1) or (2) of this section does not limit the payment of expenses as they are incurred, indemnification, insurance, or other protection that may be provided pursuant to divisions (E)(5), (6), and (7) of this section. Divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section do not create any obligation to repay or return payments made by the corporation pursuant to division (E)(5), (6), or (7).
(9) As used in division (E) of this section, “corporation” includes all constituent entities in a consolidation or merger and the new or surviving corporation, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, trustee, member, manager, or agent of such a constituent entity, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent entity as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, or agent of another corporation, domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit, a limited liability company, or a partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the new or surviving corporation as the person would if the person had served the new or surviving corporation in the same capacity.
Registrant’s Regulations. Article FIVE of the our Regulations, as amended, governs indemnification by the Company and provides as follows:
SECTION 5.01. INDEMNIFICATION. The corporation shall indemnify any officer or director of the corporation who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (including, without limitation, any action threatened or instituted by or in the right of the corporation), by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, filing fees, court reporters’ fees and transcript costs), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if his act or omission giving rise to any claim for indemnification under this Section 5.01 was not occasioned by his intent to cause injury to the corporation or by his reckless disregard for the best





interests of the corporation, and in respect of any criminal action or proceeding, he had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. It shall be presumed that no act or omission of a person claiming indemnification under this Section 5.01 that gives rise to such claim was occasioned by an intent to cause injury to the corporation or by a reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation and, in respect of any criminal matter, that such person had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful; the presumption recited in this Section 5.01 can be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence, and the termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, rebut such presumption.
SECTION 5.02. COURT-APPROVED INDEMNIFICATION. Anything contained in the Regulations or elsewhere to the contrary notwithstanding:
(A) the corporation shall not indemnify any officer or director of the corporation who was a party to any completed action or suit instituted by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, in respect of any claim, issue or matter asserted in such action or suit as to which he shall have been adjudged to be liable for an act or omission occasioned by his deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or by his reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite such adjudication of liability, and in view of all the circumstances of the case, he is fairly and reasonably entitled to such indemnity as such Court of Common Pleas or such other court shall deem proper; and
(B) the corporation shall promptly make any such unpaid indemnification as is determined by a court to be proper as contemplated by this Section 5.02.
SECTION 5.03. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES. Anything contained in the Regulations or elsewhere to the contrary notwithstanding, to the extent that an officer or director of the corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be promptly indemnified by the corporation against expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, filing fees, court reporters’ fees and transcript costs) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
SECTION 5.04. DETERMINATION REQUIRED. Any indemnification required under Section 5.01 and not precluded under Section 5.02 shall be made by the corporation only upon a determination that such indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the officer or director has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 5.01. Such determination may be made only (A) by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors of the corporation who were not and are not parties to, or threatened with, any such action, suit or proceeding, or (B) if such a quorum is not obtainable or if a majority of a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, in a written opinion by independent legal counsel other than an attorney, or a firm having associated with it an attorney, who has been retained by or who has performed services for the corporation, or any person to be indemnified, within the past five years, or (C) by the shareholders, or (D) by the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or (if the corporation is a party thereto) the court in which such action, suit or proceeding was brought, if any; any such determination may be made by a court under division (D) of this Section 5.04 at any time [including, without limitation, any time before, during or after the time when any such determination may be requested of, be under consideration by or have been denied or disregarded by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) or by the shareholders under division (C) of this Section 5.04]; and no failure for any reason to make any such determination, and no decision for any reason to deny any such determination, by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) or by the shareholders under division (C) of this Section 5.04 shall be evidence in rebuttal of the presumption recited in Section 5.01. Any determination made by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) of this Section 5.04 to make indemnification in respect of any claim, issue or matter asserted in an action or suit threatened or brought by or in the right of the corporation shall be promptly communicated to the person who threatened or brought such action or suit, and within ten (10) days after receipt of such notification such person shall have the right to petition the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought, if any, to review the reasonableness of such determination.
SECTION 5.05. ADVANCES FOR EXPENSES. The provisions of Section 1701.13(E)(5)(a) of the Ohio Revised Code do not apply to the corporation. Expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, filing fees, court reporters’ fees and transcript costs) incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01 shall be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding to or on behalf of the officer or director promptly as such expenses are incurred by him, but only if such officer or director shall first agree, in writing, to repay all amounts so paid in respect of any claim, issue or other matter asserted in such action, suit or proceeding in defense of which he shall not have been successful on the merits or otherwise if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence in a court of competent jurisdiction that, in respect of any such claim, issue or other matter, his relevant action or failure to act was





occasioned by his deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or his reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation, unless, and only to the extent that, the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite such determination, and in view of all of the circumstances, he is fairly and reasonably entitled to all or part of such indemnification.
SECTION 5.06. ARTICLE FIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE. The indemnification provided by this Article Five shall not be exclusive of, and shall be in addition to, any other rights to which any person seeking indemnification may be entitled under the Articles, the Regulations, any agreement, a vote of disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be an officer or director of the corporation and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person.
SECTION 5.07. INSURANCE. The corporation may purchase and maintain insurance, or furnish similar protection, including but not limited to trust funds, letters of credit, or self-insurance, for or on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the obligation or the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article Five. Insurance may be purchased from or maintained with a person in which the corporation has a financial interest.
SECTION 5.08. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Article Five, and as an example and not by way of limitation:
(A) A person claiming indemnification under this Article Five shall be deemed to have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01, or in defense of any claim, issue or other matter therein, if such action, suit or proceeding shall be terminated as to such person, with or without prejudice, without the entry of a judgment or order against him, without a conviction of him, without the imposition of a fine upon him and without his payment or agreement to pay any amount in settlement thereof (whether or not any such termination is based upon a judicial or other determination of the lack of merit of the claims made against him or otherwise results in a vindication of him). 
(B) References to an “other enterprise” shall include employee tax benefit plans; references to a “fine” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries.
SECTION 5.09. VENUE. Any action, suit or proceeding to determine a claim for, or for repayment to the corporation of, indemnification under this Article Five may be maintained by the person claiming such indemnification, or by the corporation, in the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio. The corporation and (by claiming or accepting such indemnification) each such person consent to the exercise of jurisdiction over its or his person by the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio in any such action, suit or proceeding.
Indemnification Agreements. We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers, as well as our controller. The indemnification agreements generally obligate us to indemnify such persons against losses and expenses they may incur in the performance of their duties, provided that (i) they did not act with deliberate intent to harm the Company or with reckless disregard for the Company's best interests and (ii) their indemnification does not violate applicable law or public policy. Under the terms of the indemnification agreements, we have also agreed to advance expenses to such persons upon their delivery of an undertaking to repay such amounts if it is determined that they are not entitled to indemnification under the agreement. The indemnification agreements are in addition to, and do not limit in any way, any other rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses to which a director or officer may be entitled under the Articles or Regulations, applicable law (including the Ohio General Corporation Law), any insurance policy, any contract or otherwise.
Directors and Officers Liability Insurance. We maintain, and in the future may continue to maintain, directors and officers liability insurance coverage to insure our present and/or former directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses which might be incurred by them in such capacities.

Item 7.        Exemption from Registration Claimed. 

Not Applicable.

Item 8.        Exhibits. 






See the Index to Exhibits of this Registration Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.        Undertakings.

A.    The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; provided, however , that paragraphs A(1)(i) and A(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

B.    The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.    Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6 of Part II of this Registration Statement, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.





SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Columbus, State of Ohio, o n June 27, 2014.
 
 
 
 
DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.
 
 
By:
 
/s/  R. H. Dillon
 
 
R. H. Dillon
 
 
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated belo w on June 27, 2014.
 
 
 
 
Signature
  
Title
 
 
/s/ R. H. Dillon
  
President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
and Director
R. H. Dillon
  
 
 
/s/  James F. Laird, Jr.
  
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and
Principal Accounting Officer) and Director
James F. Laird, Jr.
  
 
 
  /s/ Randolph J. Fortener *
  
Director
Randolph J. Fortener
  
 
 
 
  /s/ Donald B. Shackelford *
  
Director
Donald B. Shackelford
  
 
 
 
/s/ Bradley C. Shoup *
  
Director
Brandley C. Shoup
  
 
 
 
  /s/ Frances A. Skinner *
  
Director
Frances A. Skinner
  
 
 
* The undersigned, by signing his name hereto, does hereby sign this Registration Statement on behalf of each of the above-named directors of the Registrant pursuant to Powers of Attorney executed by said directors, which Powers of Attorney are filed with this Registration Statement as Exhibit 24.1.
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/  James F. Laird, Jr.
 
 
 
Date: June 27, 2014
James F. Laird, Jr., Attorney-in-Fact
 
 
 
 
 






INDEX TO EXHIBITS
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exhibit
No.
  
Description
  
Location
 
 
 
4.1

  
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.
  
Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3(i) to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Registrant with the Commission on May 7, 2002 (File No. 000-24498)
 
 
 
4.2

  
Regulations of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. (reflecting all amendments)
  
Filed herewith
 
 
 
5.1

  
Opinion of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP regarding the legality of the securities being registered
  
Filed herewith
 
 
 
10.1

  
Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan
  
Filed herewith
 
 
 
23.1

  
Consent of KPMG LLP
  
Filed herewith
 
 
 
23.2

  
Consent of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
  
Included in Exhibit 5.1
 
 
 
24.1

  
Powers of Attorney
  
Filed herewith
 





Exhibit 4.2

REGULATIONS
OF
DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.
INDEX
ARTICLE ONE     MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS
SECTION 1.01.    ANNUAL MEETINGS    1
SECTION 1.02.    CALLING OF MEETINGS        1
SECTION 1.03.    PLACE OF MEETINGS        1
SECTION 1.04.    NOTICE OF MEETINGS        1
SECTION 1.05.    WAIVER OF NOTICE        2
SECTION 1.06.    QUORUM        2
SECTION 1.07.    VOTES REQUIRED        2    
SECTION 1.08.    ORDER OF BUSINESS        2
SECTION 1.09.    SHAREHOLDERS ENTITLED TO VOTE    2
SECTION 1.10.    CUMULATIVE VOTING        2
SECTION 1.11.    PROXIES        3
SECTION 1.12.    INSPECTORS OF ELECTION        3
ARTICLE TWO      DIRECTORS
SECTION 2.01.    AUTHORITY AND QUALIFICATIONS    3
SECTION 2.02.    NUMBER OF DIRECTORS AND TERM OF OFFICE    3
SECTION 2.03.    ELECTION        4
SECTION 2.04.    REMOVAL        4
SECTION 2.05.    VACANCIES        4
SECTION 2.06.    MEETINGS        4
SECTION 2.07.    NOTICE OF MEETINGS        4
SECTION 2.08.    WAIVER OF NOTICE        5
SECTION 2.09.    QUORUM        5
SECTION 2.10.    EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE        5
SECTION 2.11.    COMPENSATION        6
SECTION 2.12.    BY-LAWS        6
ARTICLE THREE      OFFICERS
ARTICLE FOUR     SHARES
SECTION 4.01.    CERTIFICATES        7
SECTION 4.02.    TRANSFERS        7
SECTION 4.03.    TRANSFER AGENTS AND REGISTRARS    8
SECTION 4.04.    LOST, WRONGFULLY TAKEN OR DESTROYED CERTIFICATES    8
SECTION 4.05.    UNCERTIFICATED SHARES        8
ARTICLE FIVE      INDEMINIFICATION AND INSURANCE






SECTION 5.01.    INDEMNIFICATION        8
SECTION 5.02.    COURT-APPROVED INDEMNIFICATION    9
SECTION 5.03.    INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES    9
SECTION 5.04.    DETERMINATION REQUIRED    10
SECTION 5.05.    ADVANCES FOR EXPENSES        10
SECTION 5.06.     ARTICLE FIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE    11
SECTION 5.07.     INSURANCE        11
SECTION 5.08.     CERTAIN DEFINITIONS        11
SECTION 5.09.     VENUE        11
ARTICLE SIX     MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 6.01.     AMENDMENTS        12
SECTION 6.02.     ACTION BY SHAREHOLDERS OR DIRECTORS WITHOUT A MEETING    12










CODE OF REGULATIONS
OF
DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.

ARTICLE ONE
MEETINGS OF SHAREHOLDERS    
SECTION 1.01.    ANNUAL MEETINGS . The annual meeting of the shareholders for the election of directors, for the consideration of reports to be laid before such meeting and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before such meeting, shall be held on the first Monday in the fourth month following the close of the corporation's tax year each year or on such other date as may be fixed from time to time by the directors.
SECTION 1.02.    CALLING OF MEETINGS     . Meetings of the shareholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, the president, or, in case of the president's absence, death, or disability, the vice president authorized to exercise the authority of the president; the secretary; the directors by action at a meeting, or a majority of the directors acting without a meeting; or the holders of at least twenty-five percent of all shares outstanding and entitled to vote thereat.
SECTION 1.03.    PLACE OF MEETINGS     . All meetings of shareholders shall be held at the principal office of the corporation, unless otherwise provided by action of the directors. Meetings of shareholders may be held at any place within or without the State of Ohio.
SECTION 1.04.    NOTICE OF MEETINGS     . (A)    Written notice stating the time, place and purposes of a meeting of the shareholders shall be given either by personal delivery or by mail not less than seven nor more than sixty days before the date of the meeting, (1) to each shareholder of record entitled to notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of the president or the secretary. If mailed, such notice shall be addressed to the shareholder at his address as it appears on the records of the corporation. Notice of adjournment of a meeting need not be given if the time and place to which it is adjourned are fixed and announced at such meeting. In the event of a transfer of shares after the record date for determining the shareholders who are entitled to receive notice of a meeting of shareholders, it shall not be necessary to give notice to the transferee. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the setting of a record date in the manner provided by law, the Articles or the Regulations for the determination of shareholders who are entitled to receive notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders or for any purpose required or permitted by law.
(B)    Following receipt by the president or the secretary of a request in writing, specifying the purpose or purposes for which the persons properly making such request have called a meeting of the shareholders, delivered either in person or by registered mail to such officer by any persons entitled to call a meeting of shareholders, such officer shall cause to be given to the shareholders entitled thereto notice of a meeting to be held on a date not less than seven nor more than sixty days after the receipt of such request, as such officer may fix. If such notice is not given within fifteen days after the receipt of such request by the president or the secretary, then, and only then, the






persons properly calling the meeting may fix the time of meeting and give notice thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations.
SECTION 1.05.    WAIVER OF NOTICE     . Notice of the time, place and purpose or purposes of any meeting of shareholders may be waived in writing, either before or after the holding of such meeting, by any shareholders, which writing shall be filed with or entered upon the records of such meeting. The attendance of any shareholder, in person or by proxy, at any such meeting without protesting the lack of proper notice, prior to or at the commencement of the meeting, shall be deemed to be a waiver by such shareholder of notice of such meeting.
SECTION 1.06.    QUORUM     . At any meeting of shareholders, the holders of a majority of the voting shares of the corporation then outstanding and entitled to vote thereat, present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for such meeting. The holders of a majority of the voting shares represented at a meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, or the chairman of the board, the president, or the officer of the corporation acting as chairman of the meeting, may adjourn such meeting from time to time, and if a quorum is present at such adjourned meeting any business may be transacted as if the meeting had been held as originally called.
SECTION 1.07.    VOTES REQUIRED     . At all elections of directors the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected. Any other matter submitted to the shareholders for their vote shall be decided by the vote of such proportion of the shares, or of any class of shares, or of each class, as is required by law, the Articles or the Regulations.
SECTION 1.08.    ORDER OF BUSINESS     . The order of business at any meeting of shareholders shall be determined by the officer of the corporation acting as chairman of such meeting unless otherwise determined by a vote of the holders of a majority of the voting shares of the corporation then outstanding, present in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote at such meeting.
SECTION 1.09.    SHAREHOLDERS ENTITLED TO VOTE     . Each shareholder of record on the books of the corporation on the record date for determining the shareholders who are entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders shall be entitled at such meeting to one vote for each share of the corporation standing in his name on the books of the corporation on such record date. The directors may fix a record date for the determination of the shareholders who are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at a meeting of shareholders, which record date shall not be a date earlier than the date on which the record date is fixed and which record date may be a maximum of sixty days preceding the date of the meeting of shareholders.
SECTION 1.10.    CUMULATIVE VOTING     . If notice in writing shall be given by a shareholder to the president, a vice president or the secretary of the corporation, not less than forty-eight hours before the time fixed for holding a meeting of the shareholders for the purpose of electing directors if notice of such meeting shall have been given at least ten days prior thereto, and otherwise not less than twenty-four hours before such time, that such shareholder desires that the voting at such election shall be cumulative, and if an announcement of the giving of such notice is made upon the convening of the meeting by the chairman or secretary or by or on behalf of the shareholder giving such notice, each shareholder shall have the right to cumulate such voting power as he possesses and to give one candidate as many votes as is determined by multiplying the number of

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directors to be elected by the number of votes to which such shareholder is entitled, or to distribute such number of votes on the same principle among two or more candidates, as he sees fit.
SECTION 1.11.    PROXIES     . At meetings of the shareholders any shareholder of record entitled to vote thereat may be represented and may vote by a proxy or proxies appointed by an instrument in writing signed by such shareholder, but such instrument shall be filed with the secretary of the meeting before the person holding such proxy shall be allowed to vote thereunder. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of eleven months after the date of its execution, unless the shareholder executing it shall have specified therein the length of time it is to continue in force.
SECTION 1.12.    INSPECTORS OF ELECTION     . In advance of any meeting of shareholders, the directors may appoint inspectors of election to act at such meeting or any adjournment thereof; if inspectors are not so appointed, the officer of the corporation acting as chairman of any such meeting may make such appointment. In case any person appointed as inspector fails to appear or act, the vacancy may be filled only by appointment made by the directors in advance of such meeting or, if not so filled, at the meeting by the officer of the corporation acting as chairman of such meeting. No other person or persons may appoint or require the appointment of inspectors of election.
ARTICLE TWO
DIRECTORS    
SECTION 2.01.    AUTHORITY AND QUALIFICATIONS     . Except where the law, the Articles or the Regulations otherwise provide, all authority of the corporation shall be vested in and exercised by its directors. Directors need not be shareholders of the corporation.
SECTION 2.02.    NUMBER OF DIRECTORS AND TERM OF OFFICE     .
(A)    Until changed in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations, the number of directors of the corporation shall be nine. Each director shall be elected to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his successor is duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation, removal from office, or death.
(B)    The number of directors may be fixed or changed at a meeting of the shareholders called for the purpose of electing directors at which a quorum is present, only by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of the voting shares which are represented at the meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on such proposal.
(C)    The directors may fix or change the number of directors and may fill any director's office that is created by an increase in the number of directors; provided, however, that the directors may not increase the number of directors to more than fifteen nor reduce the number of directors to less than five.
(D)    No reduction in the number of directors shall of itself have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent director.

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SECTION 2.03.    ELECTION     . At each annual meeting of shareholders for the election of directors, the successors to the directors whose term shall expire in that year shall be elected, but if the annual meeting is not held or if one or more of such directors are not elected thereat, they may be elected at a special meeting called for that purpose. The election of directors shall be by ballot whenever requested by the presiding officer of the meeting or by the holders of a majority of the voting shares outstanding, entitled to vote at such meeting and present in person or by proxy, but unless such request is made, the election shall be viva voce.
SECTION 2.04.    REMOVAL     . A director or directors may be removed from office, with or without assigning any cause, only by the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the corporation entitling them to elect directors in place of those to be removed, provided that unless all the directors, or all the directors of a particular class (if the directors of the corporation are divided into classes), are removed, no individual director shall be removed in case the votes of a sufficient number of shares are cast against his removal that, if cumulatively voted at an election of all directors, or all the directors of a particular class, as the case may be, would be sufficient to elect at least one director. In case of any such removal, a new director may be elected at the same meeting for the unexpired term of each director removed. Failure to elect a director to fill the unexpired term of any director removed shall be deemed to create a vacancy in the board.
SECTION 2.05.    VACANCIES     . The remaining directors, though less than a majority of the whole authorized number of directors, may, by the vote of a majority of their number, fill any vacancy in the board for the unexpired term. A vacancy in the board exists within the meaning of this Section 2.05 in case the shareholders increase the authorized number of directors but fail at the meeting at which such increase is authorized, or an adjournment thereof, to elect the additional directors provided for, or in case the shareholders fail at any time to elect the whole authorized number of directors.
SECTION 2.06.    MEETINGS     . A meeting of the directors shall be held immediately following the adjournment of each annual meeting of shareholders at which directors are elected, and notice of such meeting need not be given. The directors shall hold such other meetings as may from time to time be called, and such other meetings of directors may be called only by the chairman of the board, the president, or any two directors. All meetings of directors shall be held at the principal office of the corporation in Columbus, Ohio or at such other place within or without the State of Ohio, as the directors may from time to time determine by a resolution. Meetings of the directors may be held through any communications equipment if all persons participating can hear each other and participation in a meeting pursuant to this provision shall constitute presence at such meeting.
SECTION 2.07.    NOTICE OF MEETINGS     . Notice of the time and place of each meeting of directors for which such notice is required by law, the Articles, the Regulations or the By-Laws shall be given to each of the directors by at least one of the following methods:
(A)    In a writing mailed not less than two days before such meeting and addressed to the residence or usual place of business of a director, as such address appears on the records of the corporation; or

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(B)    By telegraph, cable, radio, wireless, or a writing sent or delivered to the residence or usual place of business of a director as the same appears on the records of the corporation, not later than the day before the date on which such meeting is to be held; or
(C)    Personally or by telephone not later than the day before the date on which such meeting is to be held.
Notice given to a director by any one of the methods specified in the Regulations shall be sufficient, and the method of giving notice to all directors need not be uniform. Notice of any meeting of directors may be given only by the chairman of the board, the president or the secretary of the corporation. Any such notice need not specify the purpose or purposes of the meeting. Notice of adjournment of a meeting of directors need not be given if the time and place to which it is adjourned are fixed and announced at such meeting.
SECTION 2.08.    WAIVER OF NOTICE     . Notice of any meeting of directors may be waived in writing, either before or after the holding of such meeting, by any director, which writing shall be filed with or entered upon the records of the meeting. The attendance of any director at any meeting of directors without protesting, prior to or at the commencement of the meeting, the lack of proper notice, shall be deemed to be a waiver by him of notice of such meeting.
SECTION 2.09.    QUORUM     . A majority of the whole authorized number of directors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for a meeting of directors, except that a majority of the directors in office shall constitute a quorum for filling a vacancy in the board. The act of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present is the act of the board, except as otherwise provided by law, the Articles or the Regulations.
SECTION 2.10.    EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE     . The directors may create an executive committee or any other committee of directors, to consist of not less than three directors, and may authorize the delegation to such executive committee or other committees of any of the authority of the directors, however conferred, other than that of filling vacancies among the directors or in the executive committee or in any other committee of the directors.
Such executive committee or any other committee of directors shall serve at the pleasure of the directors, shall act only in the intervals between meetings of the directors, and shall be subject to the control and direction of the directors. Such executive committee or other committee of directors may act by a majority of its members at a meeting or by a writing or writings signed by all of its members.
Any act or authorization of any act by the executive committee or any other committee within the authority delegated to it shall be as effective for all purposes as the act or authorization of the directors. No notice of a meeting of the executive committee or of any other committee of directors shall be required. A meeting of the executive committee or of any other committee of directors may be called only by the president or by a member of such executive or other committee of directors. Meetings of the executive committee or of any other committee of directors may be held through any communications equipment if all persons participating can hear each other and participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence thereat.

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SECTION 2.11.    COMPENSATION     . Directors shall be entitled to receive as compensation for services rendered and expenses incurred as directors, such amounts as the directors may determine.
SECTION 2.12.    BY-LAWS     . The directors may adopt, and amend from time to time, By-Laws for their own government, which By-Laws shall not be inconsistent with the law, the Articles or the Regulations.
ARTICLE THREE
OFFICERS    
SECTION 3.01.OFFICERS .      The officers of the corporation to be elected by the directors shall be a chief executive officer, a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and, if desired, one or more vice presidents and such other officers and assistant officers as the directors may from time to time elect. The directors may elect a chairman of the board, who must be a director. Officers need not be shareholders of the corporation, and may be paid such compensation as the board of directors may determine. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person, but no officer shall execute, acknowledge, or verify any instrument in more than one capacity if such instrument is required by law, the Articles, the Regulations or the By-Laws to be executed, acknowledged, or verified by two or more officers.
SECTION 3.04. DUTIES OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER . The chief executive officer of the corporation shall exercise supervision over the business of the corporation and over its officers and employees and shall have, among such additional powers and duties as the directors may from time to time assign to him, the power and authority to sign all certificates evidencing shares of the corporation and all deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, notes and other instruments requiring the signature of the chief executive officer of the corporation. It shall be the duty of the chief executive officer to preside at meetings of shareholders in the absence of, or at the request of, the chairman of the board.
SECTION 3.05. DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT.      The president shall exercise supervision over the business of the corporation and over its officers and employees and shall have, among such additional powers and duties as the directors and, if there be one, the chief executive officer, may from time to time assign to him, the power and authority to sign all certificates evidencing shares of the corporation and all deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, notes and other instruments requiring the signature of the president of the corporation.
SECTION 3.06. DUTIES OF THE VICE PRESIDENTS.     In the absence of the chief executive officer, or the president, or in the event of either officer’s inability or refusal to act, the vice president, if any (or in the event there be more than one vice president, the vice presidents in the order designated, or in the absence of any designation, then in the order of their election), shall perform the duties of the chief executive officer, or the president, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all restrictions upon the chief executive officer or the president. The vice presidents shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the directors may from time to time prescribe.

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SECTION 3.07. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.      It shall be the duty of the secretary, or of an assistant secretary, if any, in case of the absence or inability to act of the secretary, to keep minutes of all the proceedings of the shareholders and the directors and to make a proper record of the same; to perform such other duties as may be required by law, the Articles or the Regulations; to perform such other and further duties as may from time to time be assigned to him by the directors, the chief executive officer, or the president; and to deliver all books, paper and property of the corporation in his possession to his successor, the chief executive officer, or to the president.
SECTION 3.08. DUTIES OF THE TREASURER . The treasurer, or an assistant treasurer, if any, in case of the absence or inability to act of the treasurer, shall receive and safely keep in charge all money, bills, notes, choses in action, securities and similar property belonging to the corporation, and shall do with or disburse the same as directed by the chief executive officer, the president, or the directors; shall keep an accurate account of the finances and business of the corporation, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, stated capital and shares, together with such other accounts as may be required and hold the same open for inspection and examination by the directors; shall give bond in such sum with such security as the directors may require for the faithful performance of his duties; shall, upon the expiration of his term of office, deliver all money and other property of the corporation in his possession or custody to his successor, the chief executive officer, or the president; and shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him by the directors.
ARTICLE FOUR
SHARES    
SECTION 4.01.    CERTIFICATES     . Certificates evidencing ownership of shares of the corporation shall be issued to those entitled to them. Each certificate evidencing shares of the corporation shall bear a distinguishing number; the signatures of the chairman of the board, the president, or a vice president, and of the secretary, an assistant secretary, the treasurer, or an assistant treasurer (except that when any such certificate is countersigned by an incorporated transfer agent or registrar, such signatures may be facsimile, engraved, stamped or printed); and such recitals as may be required by law. Certificates evidencing shares of the corporation shall be of such tenor and design as the directors may from time to time adopt and may bear such recitals as are permitted by law.
SECTION 4.02.    TRANSFERS     . Where a certificate evidencing a share or shares of the corporation is presented to the corporation or its proper agents with a request to register transfer, the transfer shall be registered as requested if:
(1)    An appropriate person signs on each certificate so presented or signs on a separate document an assignment or transfer of shares evidenced by each such certificate, or signs a power to assign or transfer such shares, or when the signature of an appropriate person is written without more on the back of each such certificate; and
(2)    Reasonable assurance is given that the endorsement of each appropriate person is genuine and effective; the corporation or its agents may refuse to register a transfer of shares unless the signature of each appropriate person is guaranteed by an "eligible guarantor institution"

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as defined in Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any successor rule or regulation; and
(3)    All applicable laws relating to the collection of transfer or other taxes have been complied with; and
(4)    The corporation or its agents are not otherwise required or permitted to refuse to register such transfer.
SECTION 4.03.    TRANSFER AGENTS AND REGISTRARS     . The directors may appoint one or more agents to transfer or to register shares of the corporation, or both.
SECTION 4.04.    LOST, WRONGFULLY TAKEN OR DESTROYED CERTIFICATES     . Except as otherwise provided by law, where the owner of a certificate evidencing shares of the corporation claims that such certificate has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the directors must cause the corporation to issue a new certificate in place of the original certificate if the owner:
(1)    So requests before the corporation has notice that such original certificate has been acquired by a bona fide purchaser; and
(2)    Files with the corporation, unless waived by the directors, an indemnity bond, with surety or sureties satisfactory to the corporation, in such sums as the directors may, in their discretion, deem reasonably sufficient as indemnity against any loss or liability that the corporation may incur by reason of the issuance of each such new certificate; and
(3)    Satisfies any other reasonable requirements which may be imposed by the directors, in their discretion.
SECTION 4.05.    UNCERTIFICATED SHARES     . Anything contained in this Article Four to the contrary notwithstanding, the directors may provide by resolution that some or all of any or all classes and series of shares of the corporation shall be uncertificated shares, provided that such resolution shall not apply to (A) shares of the corporation represented by a certificate until such certificate is surrendered to the corporation in accordance with applicable provisions of Ohio law or (B) any certificated security of the corporation issued in exchange for an uncertificated security in accordance with applicable provisions of Ohio law. The rights and obligations of the holders of uncertificated shares and the rights and obligations of the holders of certificates representing shares of the same class and series shall be identical, except as otherwise expressly provided by law.
ARTICLE FIVE
INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE    
SECTION 5.01.    INDEMNIFICATION     . The corporation shall indemnify any officer or director of the corporation who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (including, without limitation, any action threatened or instituted by or in the right of

8




the corporation), by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, filing fees, court reporters' fees and transcript costs), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if his act or omission giving rise to any claim for indemnification under this Section 5.01 was not occasioned by his intent to cause injury to the corporation or by his reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation, and in respect of any criminal action or proceeding, he had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. It shall be presumed that no act or omission of a person claiming indemnification under this Section 5.01 that gives rise to such claim was occasioned by an intent to cause injury to the corporation or by a reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation and, in respect of any criminal matter, that such person had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful; the presumption recited in this Section 5.01 can be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence, and the termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, rebut such presumption.
SECTION 5.02.    COURT-APPROVED INDEMNIFICATION     . Anything contained in the Regulations or elsewhere to the contrary notwithstanding:
(A) the corporation shall not indemnify any officer or director of the corporation who was a party to any completed action or suit instituted by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, in respect of any claim, issue or matter asserted in such action or suit as to which he shall have been adjudged to be liable for an act or omission occasioned by his deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or by his reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite such adjudication of liability, and in view of all the circumstances of the case, he is fairly and reasonably entitled to such indemnity as such Court of Common Pleas or such other court shall deem proper; and
(B) the corporation shall promptly make any such unpaid indemnification as is determined by a court to be proper as contemplated by this Section 5.02.
SECTION 5.03.    INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES     . Anything contained in the Regulations or elsewhere to the contrary notwithstanding, to the extent that an officer or director of the corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be promptly indemnified by the corporation against expenses (including, without limitation,

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attorneys' fees, filing fees, court reporters' fees and transcript costs) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
SECTION 5.04.    DETERMINATION REQUIRED     . Any indemnification required under Section 5.01 and not precluded under Section 5.02 shall be made by the corporation only upon a determination that such indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the officer or director has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 5.01. Such determination may be made only (A) by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors of the corporation who were not and are not parties to, or threatened with, any such action, suit or proceeding, or (B) if such a quorum is not obtainable or if a majority of a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, in a written opinion by independent legal counsel other than an attorney, or a firm having associated with it an attorney, who has been retained by or who has performed services for the corporation, or any person to be indemnified, within the past five years, or (C) by the shareholders, or (D) by the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or (if the corporation is a party thereto) the court in which such action, suit or proceeding was brought, if any; any such determination may be made by a court under division (D) of this Section 5.04 at any time [including, without limitation, any time before, during or after the time when any such determination may be requested of, be under consideration by or have been denied or disregarded by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) or by the shareholders under division (C) of this Section 5.04]; and no failure for any reason to make any such determination, and no decision for any reason to deny any such determination, by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) or by the shareholders under division (C) of this Section 5.04 shall be evidence in rebuttal of the presumption recited in Section 5.01. Any determination made by the disinterested directors under division (A) or by independent legal counsel under division (B) of this Section 5.04 to make indemnification in respect of any claim, issue or matter asserted in an action or suit threatened or brought by or in the right of the corporation shall be promptly communicated to the person who threatened or brought such action or suit, and within ten (10) days after receipt of such notification such person shall have the right to petition the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought, if any, to review the reasonableness of such determination.
SECTION 5.05.    ADVANCES FOR EXPENSES     . The provisions of Section 1701.13(E)(5)(a) of the Ohio Revised Code do not apply to the corporation. Expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, filing fees, court reporters' fees and transcript costs) incurred in defending any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01 shall be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding to or on behalf of the officer or director promptly as such expenses are incurred by him, but only if such officer or director shall first agree, in writing, to repay all amounts so paid in respect of any claim, issue or other matter asserted in such action, suit or proceeding in defense of which he shall not have been successful on the merits or otherwise if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence in a court of competent jurisdiction that, in respect of any such claim, issue or other matter, his relevant action or failure to act was occasioned by his deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or his reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation, unless, and only to the extent that, the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon

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application that, despite such determination, and in view of all of the circumstances, he is fairly and reasonably entitled to all or part of such indemnification.
SECTION 5.06.     ARTICLE FIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE     . The indemnification provided by this Article Five shall not be exclusive of, and shall be in addition to, any other rights to which any person seeking indemnification may be entitled under the Articles, the Regulations, any agreement, a vote of disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be an officer or director of the corporation and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person.
SECTION 5.07.     INSURANCE     . The corporation may purchase and maintain insurance, or furnish similar protection, including but not limited to trust funds, letters of credit, or self-insurance, for or on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or volunteer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager, agent or volunteer of another corporation (domestic or foreign, nonprofit or for profit), limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the obligation or the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article Five. Insurance may be purchased from or maintained with a person in which the corporation has a financial interest.
SECTION 5.08.     CERTAIN DEFINITIONS     . For purposes of this Article Five, and as an example and not by way of limitation:
(A) A person claiming indemnification under this Article Five shall be deemed to have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 5.01, or in defense of any claim, issue or other matter therein, if such action, suit or proceeding shall be terminated as to such person, with or without prejudice, without the entry of a judgment or order against him, without a conviction of him, without the imposition of a fine upon him and without his payment or agreement to pay any amount in settlement thereof (whether or not any such termination is based upon a judicial or other determination of the lack of merit of the claims made against him or otherwise results in a vindication of him).
(B) References to an "other enterprise" shall include employee tax benefit plans; references to a "fine" shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to "serving at the request of the corporation" shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries.
SECTION 5.09.     VENUE     . Any action, suit or proceeding to determine a claim for, or for repayment to the corporation of, indemnification under this Article Five may be maintained by the person claiming such indemnification, or by the corporation, in the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio. The corporation and (by claiming or accepting

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such indemnification) each such person consent to the exercise of jurisdiction over its or his person by the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio in any such action, suit or proceeding.
ARTICLE SIX
MISCELLANEOUS    
SECTION 6.01.     AMENDMENTS     . The Regulations may be amended, or new regulations may be adopted, at a meeting of shareholders held for such purpose, by the affirmative vote of the holders of shares entitling them to exercise not less than a majority of the voting power of the corporation on such proposal, or without a meeting by the written consent of the holders of shares entitling them to exercise not less than a majority of the voting power of the corporation on such proposal. Except as otherwise set forth in the Articles of Incorporation, these Regulations may be amended, or new regulations adopted, by the directors to the fullest extent permitted by Ohio law.
SECTION 6.02. ACTION BY SHAREHOLDERS OR DIRECTORS WITHOUT A MEETING     . Anything contained in the Regulations to the contrary notwithstanding, except as provided in Section 6.01, any action which may be authorized or taken at a meeting of the shareholders or of the directors or of a committee of the directors, as the case may be, may be authorized or taken without a meeting with the affirmative vote or approval of, and in a writing or writings signed by, all the shareholders who would be entitled to notice of a meeting of the shareholders held for such purpose, or all the directors, or all the members of such committee of the directors, respectively, which writings shall be filed with or entered upon the records of the corporation.

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Exhibit 5.1

[Letterhead of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP]


June 27, 2014



Board of Directors
Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.
325 John H. McConnell Blvd., Suite 200
Columbus, OH 43215

Ladies and gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof in order to register 600,000 common shares, no par value per share (the “Common Shares”), under the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Rules and Regulations”), for issuance pursuant to awards to be granted under the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

In connection with this opinion, we have examined an original or a copy of, and have relied upon the accuracy of, without independent verification or investigation, (a) the Registration Statement; (b) the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Articles”), as certified by the Secretary of State of Ohio on June 27, 2014; (c) Regulations of the Company, as amended (the “Regulations”), as certified by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; (d) the resolutions approved by the Board of Directors of the Company on February 25, 2014, as certified by the Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the Company; (e) the Certificate of the Inspector of Election for the meeting of the shareholders of the Company held on April 30, 2014; and (f) such other representations of the Company and its officers as we have deemed relevant.

In our examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies and the authenticity of such originals. We have also assumed the due preparation of share certificates and compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws.

As used herein, the phrase “validly issued” means that the particular action has been authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company and that the Company has the corporate authority to take such action under Chapter 1701 of the Ohio Revised Code (the “Ohio General Corporation Law”) and the Company’s Articles and Regulations.




Based upon and subject to the foregoing and the qualifications and limitations set forth below, as of the date hereof, we are of the opinion that the 600,000 Common Shares to be registered under the Act for issuance under the Plan, when issued, delivered and paid for, as appropriate, in the manner provided and for the consideration, if any, prescribed in the Plan and in any award agreements entered into by participants in the Plan with the Company as contemplated by the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

This opinion is limited to the federal laws of the United States and to the laws of the State of Ohio having effect as of the date hereof. This opinion is furnished by us solely for the benefit of the Company in connection with the offering of the Common Shares and the filing of the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto. This opinion may not be relied upon by any other person or assigned, quoted or otherwise used without our specific written consent.

This opinion is based upon the laws and legal interpretations in effect, and the facts and circumstances existing, on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to revise or supplement this opinion should any such law or legal interpretation be changed by legislative action, judicial interpretation or otherwise or should there be any change in such facts or circumstances.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to us therein. By giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations.

Except in connection with the Registration Statement as aforesaid, no portion of this opinion may be quoted or otherwise used by any person without our prior written consent.

Very truly yours,


/s/ Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP        
VORYS, SATER, SEYMOUR AND PEASE LLP





Exhibit 10.1


DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC.
2014 EQUITY AND CASH INCENTIVE PLAN
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the Company’s long-term financial success and increase shareholder value by motivating performance through incentive compensation. The Plan also is intended to encourage Participants to acquire ownership interests in the Company, attract and retain talented employees and directors and enable Participants to participate in the Company’s long-term growth and financial success.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
When used in the Plan, the following capitalized words, terms and phrases shall have the meanings set forth in this Article I. For purposes of the Plan, the form of any word, term or phrase shall include any and all of its other forms.
1.1     “Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor thereto.
1.2     “Affiliate” shall mean any entity with whom the Company would be considered a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code, but modified as permitted under any Code section relevant to the purpose for which the definition is applied.
1.3     “Award” shall mean any Nonqualified Stock Option, Incentive Stock Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Other Stock-Based Award or Cash-Based Award granted pursuant to the Plan.
1.4     “Award Agreement” shall mean any written or electronic agreement between the Company and a Participant that describes the terms and conditions of an Award. If there is a conflict between the terms of the Plan and the terms of an Award Agreement, the terms of the Plan shall govern.
1.5     “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
1.6     “Cash-Based Award” shall mean a cash Award granted pursuant to Article IX of the Plan.
1.7     “Cause” shall mean, unless otherwise provided in the related Award Agreement or in any employment agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate or in any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, a Participant’s: (a) willful and continued failure to substantially perform the Participant’s assigned duties; (b) gross misconduct; (c) breach of any term of any agreement with the Company or any Affiliate, including the Plan and any Award Agreement; (d) conviction of (or plea of no contest or nolo contendere to) (i) a felony or a misdemeanor that originally was charged as a felony but which was subsequently reduced to a misdemeanor through negotiation with the charging entity or (ii) a crime other than a felony, which involves a breach of trust or fiduciary duty owed to the Company, any Affiliate or any client of the Company or any Affiliate; or (e) violation of the Company’s code of conduct, Code of Ethics, Insider Trading Policy or any other policy of the Company or any Affiliate that applies to the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Cause will not arise solely because the Participant is absent from active employment during periods of vacation, consistent with the Company’s applicable vacation policy, or other period of absence approved by the Company.
1.8     “Change in Control” shall mean, unless otherwise provided in any employment agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate or in any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, the occurrence of any of the following:
(a)    Any transaction or series of transactions, whereby any person (as that term is used in Section 13 and 14(d)(2) of the Act), is or becomes the beneficial owner (as that term is used in Section 13(d) of the Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; provided , that for purposes of this paragraph, the term “person” will exclude (i) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or an Affiliate, (ii) a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership in the Company, and (iii) any venture capital firm or other investor in securities of the Company that first purchases any such securities within the thirty (30) day period following the effective date of the Plan;





(b)    Any merger, consolidation, other corporate reorganization or liquidation of the Company in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation or entity or pursuant to which Shares would be converted into cash, securities, or other property, other than (i) a merger or consolidation with a wholly-owned subsidiary, (ii) a reincorporation of the Company in a different jurisdiction, or (iii) any other transaction in which there is no substantial change in the stockholders of the Company;
(c)    Any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or any other corporate reorganization, if more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the continuing or surviving entity’s securities outstanding immediately after such merger, consolidation, or other reorganization is owned by persons who were not stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation, or other reorganization;
(d)    The sale, transfer, or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in one transaction or a series of transactions; or
(e)    A change or series of related or unrelated changes in the composition of the Board, during any twenty-four (24) month period beginning on the first anniversary of the effective date of the Plan, as a result of which fewer than fifty percent (50%) of the incumbent directors are directors who either (i) had been directors of the Company on the later of such first anniversary of the effective date of the Plan or the date twenty-four (24) months prior to the date of the event that may constitute a Change of Control (the “ Original Directors ”) or (ii) were elected, or nominated for election, to the Board with the affirmative votes of a least a majority of the aggregate of the Original Directors who were still in office at the time of the election or nomination and the directors whose election or nomination was previously so approved.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following transactions will not constitute a “Change of Control”: (i) any transaction the sole purpose of which is to change the state of incorporation of the Company or to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transaction; or (ii) with respect to any Award that is subject to Section 409A of the Code and for which no exception applies, any transaction or event described above that does not also constitute a “change in control event” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.
1.9    “ Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor thereto. Where appropriate, a reference to the Code shall also include the applicable Treasury Regulations and other official guidance promulgated thereunder.
1.10     “Committee” shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board, which will be comprised of at least two directors, each of whom is an “outside director,” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, a “non-employee” director within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Act, and an “independent director” under the rules of the exchange on which the Shares are listed.
1.11     “Company” shall mean Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc., an Ohio corporation, and any successor thereto.
1.12     “Covered Employee” shall mean a “covered employee” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.
1.13     “Director” shall mean a person who is a member of the Board, excluding any member who is an Employee.
1.14     “Disability” shall mean, with respect to:
(a)    An Incentive Stock Option, “disability” as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code;
(b)    The payment, exercise or settlement of any Award that is (or becomes) subject to Section 409A of the Code (and for which no exception applies): (i) the Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months; (ii) the Participant is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an accident and health plan covering Employees of the Participant’s employer; or (iii) the Participant is determined to be totally disabled by the Social Security Administration; and
(c)    A Participant’s right to exercise or receive settlement of any Award or with respect to the payment, exercise or settlement of any Award not described in subsection (a) or (b) of this definition, a Participant’s inability (established by an independent physician selected by the Committee) due to illness, accident or otherwise to perform his or her duties, which is expected to be permanent or for an indefinite duration longer than 12 months.





1.15     “Employee” shall mean any person who is a common law employee of the Company or any Affiliate. A person who is classified as other than a common law employee but who is subsequently reclassified as a common law employee of the Company or any Affiliate for any reason and on any basis shall be treated as a common law employee only from the date that reclassification occurs and shall not retroactively be reclassified as an Employee for any purpose under the Plan.
1.16     “Fair Market Value” shall mean the value of one Share on any relevant date, determined under the following rules:
(a)    If the Shares are traded on an exchange, the reported “closing price” on the relevant date if it is a trading day, otherwise on the next trading day;
(b)    If the Shares are traded over-the-counter with no reported closing price, the mean between the lowest bid and the highest asked prices on that quotation system on the relevant date if it is a trading day, and if the relevant date is not a trading day, then on the next trading day; or
(c)    If neither (a) nor (b) applies, (i) with respect to Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and any Award that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the value as determined by the Committee through the reasonable application of a reasonable valuation method, taking into account all information material to the value of the Company, within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, and (ii) with respect to all other Awards, the fair market value as determined by the Committee in good faith.
1.17     “Incentive Stock Option” shall mean an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code.
1.18     “Nonqualified Stock Option” shall mean an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Stock Option.
1.19     “Option” shall mean an option to purchase Shares which is granted pursuant to Article V of the Plan. An Option may be either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Stock Option.
1.20     “Other Stock-Based Award” shall mean an Award granted pursuant to Article VIII of the Plan.
1.21     “Participant” shall mean an Employee or Director who is granted an Award under the Plan.
1.22     “Performance-Based Award” shall mean an Award described in Article X of the Plan.
1.23     “Performance Criteria” shall mean: (a) with respect to a Participant who is or is likely to be a Covered Employee, the performance criteria described in Section 10.2(a) of the Plan; and (b) with respect to any other Participant, any performance criteria determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
1.24     “Plan” shall mean the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan, as set forth herein and as may be amended from time to time.
1.25     “Preexisting Plan” shall mean the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2011 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan. Upon approval of the Plan by the Company’s shareholders, no further awards will be issued under the Preexisting Plan, although the Preexisting Plan will remain in effect after the Company’s shareholders approve the Plan for purposes of determining any grantee’s right to awards issued under the Preexisting Plan before that date.
1.26     “Restricted Stock” shall mean an Award granted pursuant to Article VII of the Plan under which a Participant is issued Shares which are subject to specified restrictions on vesting and transferability.
1.27     “Retirement” shall mean, unless otherwise provided in the related Award Agreement or in any employment agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate or in any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, a Participant’s voluntary termination of employment that is determined to constitute a “retirement” by the Board.
1.28     “Shares” shall mean the common shares, without par value, of the Company or any security of the Company issued in satisfaction, exchange or in place of these shares.
1.29     “Stock Appreciation Right” shall mean an Award granted pursuant to Article VI of the Plan.
1.30     “Subsidiary” shall mean with respect to an Incentive Stock Option, a “subsidiary corporation” as defined under Section 424(f) of the Code.





ARTICLE II
SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
2.1     Number of Shares Available for Awards . Subject to this Article II, the aggregate number of Shares with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan shall be 600,000, all of which may be granted with respect to Incentive Stock Options. The Shares may consist, in whole or in part, of treasury Shares, authorized but unissued Shares not reserved for any other purpose or Shares purchased by the Company or an independent agent in either a private transaction or in the open market. Subject to this Article II, upon the grant of an Award, the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced by an amount equal to the number of Shares subject to such Award, and any Shares underlying such an Award that become available for future grant under the Plan pursuant to Section 2.2 shall be added back to the Plan in an amount equal to the number of Shares subject to such an Award that become available for future grant under the Plan pursuant to Section 2.2.
2.2     Share Usage . In addition to the number of Shares provided for in Section 2.1, the following Shares shall be available for Awards under the Plan: (a) Shares covered by an Award that expires or is forfeited, canceled, surrendered or otherwise terminated without the issuance of such Shares; (b) Shares covered by an Award that is settled only in cash or for less than the full number of Shares subject to the Award; (c) Shares granted through the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards granted by a company to individuals who become Employees or Directors as the result of a merger, consolidation, acquisition or other corporate transaction involving such company and the Company or any of its Affiliates; (d) any Shares from awards exercised for or settled in vested and nonforfeitable Shares that are later returned to the Company pursuant to any compensation recoupment policy, provision or agreement; and (e) any Shares surrendered upon exercise of an Award as payment of the applicable exercise price or withheld to satisfy any applicable taxes.
2.3     Fiscal Year Limits . Subject to Section 2.4 and unless and until the Committee determines that an Award to a Covered Employee shall not be designated as “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code, during any fiscal year of the Company, the Committee may not grant to any Participant: (a) Options covering more than 100,000 Shares; (b)   Stock Appreciation Rights covering more than 100,000 Shares; (c)   more than 100,000 Shares of Restricted Stock; (d) Other Stock-Based Awards covering more than 100,000 Shares; (e) Cash-Based Awards with a value in excess of $5,000,000; (f) Performance-Based Awards that are to be settled in Shares covering more than 100,000 Shares; and (g) Performance-Based Awards that are to be settled in cash in excess of $5,000,000.
2.4     Adjustments . In the event of any Share dividend, Share split, recapitalization (including payment of an extraordinary dividend), merger, reorganization, consolidation, combination, spin-off, distribution of assets to shareholders, exchange of Shares or any other change affecting the Shares, the Committee shall make such substitutions and adjustments, if any, as it deems equitable and appropriate to: (a)   the aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan; (b)   any Share-based limits imposed under the Plan; and (c)   the exercise price, number of Shares and other terms or limitations applicable to outstanding Awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.4 shall be made only to the extent such adjustment complies, to the extent applicable, with Section 409A of the Code.
ARTICLE III
ADMINISTRATION
3.1     In General . The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. The Committee shall have full power and authority to: (a) interpret the Plan and any Award Agreement; (b) establish, amend and rescind any rules and regulations relating to the Plan; (c) select Participants; (d) establish the terms and conditions of any Award consistent with the terms and conditions of the Plan, including when the Award may vest and, if applicable, be exercised, the acceleration of any such dates and the expiration of the Award; and (e) make any other determinations that it deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award Agreement in the manner and to the extent the Committee deems necessary or desirable. Any decision of the Committee in the interpretation and administration of the Plan shall be made in the Committee’s sole and absolute discretion and shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons.
3.2     Delegation of Duties . In its sole discretion, the Committee may delegate any ministerial duties associated with the Plan to any person (including Employees) it deems appropriate; provided, however, that the Committee may not delegate (a) any duties that it is required to discharge to comply with Section 162(m) of the Code or any other applicable law; (b) its authority to grant Awards to any Participant who is subject to Section 16 of the Act; and (c) its authority under any equity award granting policy of the Company that may be in effect from time to time.
ARTICLE IV
ELIGIBILITY





4.1     Eligibility . The Committee may designate any Employee or Director as a Participant for purposes of receiving an Award under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) any Non-Qualified Stock Option or Award subject to Section 409A of the Code may be granted to Employees or Directors of Affiliates only to the extent consistent with Section 409A of the Code; and (b) only Employees of the Company or a Subsidiary may be granted an Incentive Stock Option.
4.2     Actual Participation . Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from among all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards will be granted and will determine the nature and amount of each Award. No individual will have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.
ARTICLE V
OPTIONS
5.1     Grant of Options . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Options may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms and conditions, as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
5.2     Award Agreement . Each Option shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the exercise price, the term of the Option, the number of Shares covered by the Option, the conditions upon which the Option shall become vested and exercisable and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine and which are not inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the Plan. The Award Agreement also shall specify whether the Option is intended to be an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Stock Option.
5.3     Exercise Price . The exercise price per Share of an Option shall be determined by the Committee at the time the Option is granted; provided, however, that in no event shall the exercise price per Share of any Option be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.
5.4     Term . The term of an Option shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, that in no event shall the term of any Option exceed ten years from its date of grant.
5.5     Exercisability . Options shall become exercisable at such times and upon such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee. Such terms and conditions may include, without limitation, the satisfaction of (a) performance goals based on one or more Performance Criteria; and (b) time-based vesting requirements.
5.6     Exercise of Options . Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or in a related Award Agreement, an Option may be exercised for all or any portion of the Shares for which it is then exercisable. An Option shall be exercised by the delivery of a notice of exercise to the Company or its designee in a form specified by the Committee which sets forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised and full payment of the exercise price for such Shares. The exercise price of an Option may be paid: (a) in cash or its equivalent; (b) by tendering (either by actual delivery or attestation) previously acquired Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the aggregate exercise price; provided that such Shares had been held for at least six months or such other period required to obtain favorable accounting treatment and to comply with the requirements of Section 16 of the Act; (c) by a cashless exercise (including by withholding Shares deliverable upon exercise and through a broker-assisted arrangement to the extent permitted by applicable law); (d) by a combination of the methods described in clauses (a), (b) and/or (c); or (e) through any other method approved by the Committee in its sole discretion. As soon as practicable after receipt of the notification of exercise and full payment of the exercise price, the Company shall cause the appropriate number of Shares to be issued to the Participant.
5.7     Special Rules Applicable to Incentive Stock Options . Notwithstanding any other provision in the Plan to the contrary:
(a)    The terms and conditions of Incentive Stock Options shall be subject to and comply with the requirements of Section 422 of the Code.
(b)    The aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares (determined as of the date of grant) with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries) may not be greater than $100,000 (or such other amount specified in Section 422 of the Code), as calculated under Section 422 of the Code.
(c)    No Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to any Participant who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns shares possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary, unless (i) the exercise price of such Incentive Stock Option is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share





on the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted and (ii) the date on which such Incentive Stock Option will expire is not later than five years from the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted.
ARTICLE VI
STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
6.1     Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms and conditions, as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
6.2     Award Agreement . Each Stock Appreciation Right shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the exercise price, the term of the Stock Appreciation Right, the number of Shares covered by the Stock Appreciation Right, the conditions upon which the Stock Appreciation Right shall become vested and exercisable and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine and which are not inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the Plan.
6.3     Exercise Price . The exercise price per Share of a Stock Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Committee at the time the Stock Appreciation Right is granted; provided, however, that in no event shall the exercise price per Share of any Stock Appreciation Right be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.
6.4     Term . The term of a Stock Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Committee; provided however, that in no event shall the term of any Stock Appreciation Right exceed ten years from its date of grant.
6.5     Exercisability of Stock Appreciation Rights . A Stock Appreciation Right shall become exercisable at such times and upon such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Committee. Such terms and conditions may include, without limitation, the satisfaction of (a) performance goals based on one or more Performance Criteria; and (b) time-based vesting requirements.
6.6     Exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights . Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or in a related Award Agreement, a Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised for all or any portion of the Shares for which it is then exercisable. A Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercised by the delivery of a notice of exercise to the Company or its designee in a form specified by the Committee which sets forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is to be exercised. Upon exercise, a Stock Appreciation Right shall entitle a Participant to an amount equal to (a) the excess of (i) the Fair Market Value of a Share on the exercise date over (ii) the exercise price per Share, multiplied by (b) the number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised. A Stock Appreciation Right may be settled in full Shares, cash or a combination thereof, as specified by the Committee in the related Award Agreement.
ARTICLE VII
RESTRICTED STOCK
7.1     Grant of Restricted Stock . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Shares of Restricted Stock may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms and conditions, as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
7.2     Award Agreement . Each Restricted Stock Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the number of Shares of Restricted Stock, the restricted period(s) applicable to the Shares of Restricted Stock, the conditions upon which the restrictions on the Shares of Restricted Stock will lapse and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine and which are not inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the Plan.
7.3     Terms, Conditions and Restrictions .
(a)    The Committee shall impose such other terms, conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares of Restricted Stock as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, a requirement that the Participant pay a purchase price for each Share of Restricted Stock, restrictions based on the achievement of specific performance goals (which may be based on one or more Performance Criteria), time-based restrictions, holding requirements or sale restrictions placed on the Shares by the Company upon vesting of such Restricted Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to Sections 2.3(h) and Article XII of the Plan or as described in the related Award Agreement in connection with a Participant’s death, termination due to Disability and/or Retirement, no condition on vesting of a Restricted Stock Award that is based upon achievement of specified performance goals shall be based on performance over a period of less than one year.





(b)    To the extent deemed appropriate by the Committee, the Company may retain the certificates representing Shares of Restricted Stock in the Company’s possession until such time as all terms, conditions and/or restrictions applicable to such Shares have been satisfied or lapse.
(c)    Unless otherwise provided in the related Award Agreement or required by applicable law or as determined by the Committee, the restrictions imposed on Shares of Restricted Stock shall lapse upon the expiration or termination of the applicable restricted period and the satisfaction of any other applicable terms and conditions.
7.4     Rights Associated with Restricted Stock during Restricted Period . During any restricted period applicable to Shares of Restricted Stock:
(a)    Such Shares of Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise alienated or hypothecated.
(b)    Unless otherwise provided in the related Award Agreement: (i) the Participant shall be entitled to exercise full voting rights associated with such Shares of Restricted Stock; and (ii) the Participant shall be entitled to all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares of Restricted Stock during the restricted period; provided, however, that receipt of any such dividends or other distributions will be subject to the same terms and conditions as the Shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which they are paid.
ARTICLE VIII
OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS
8.1     Grant of Other Stock-Based Awards . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms and conditions, as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. Other Stock-Based Awards are Awards that are valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on the Fair Market Value of, the Shares, and shall be in such form as the Committee shall determine, including without limitation, (a) unrestricted Shares or (b) time-based or performance-based restricted stock units that are settled in Shares and/or cash. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to Sections 2.3(h) and Article XII of the Plan or as described in the related Award Agreement in connection with a Participant’s death, termination due to Disability and/or Retirement, no condition on vesting of an Other Stock-Based Award that is based upon achievement of specified performance goals shall be based on performance over a period of less than one year and no condition on vesting of an Other Stock-Based Award that is based upon continued employment or the passage of time shall provide for vesting in full of the Other Stock-Based Award more quickly than in pro rata installments over three years from the date of grant of the Award.
8.2     Award Agreement . Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the terms and conditions upon which the Other Stock-Based Award shall become vested, if applicable, the time and method of settlement, the form of settlement and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine and which are not inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the Plan.
8.3     Form of Settlement . An Other Stock-Based Award may be settled in full Shares, cash or a combination thereof, as specified by the Committee in the related Award Agreement.
8.4     Dividend Equivalents . Awards of Other Stock-Based Awards may provide the Participant with dividend equivalents, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and set forth in the related Award Agreement.
ARTICLE IX
CASH-BASED AWARDS
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, Cash-Based Awards may be granted to Participants in such amounts and upon such other terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. Each Cash-Based Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the payment amount or payment range, the time and method of settlement and the other terms and conditions, as applicable, of such Award which may include, without limitation, performance objectives.
ARTICLE X
PERFORMANCE-BASED AWARDS





10.1     In General . Awards may be granted as Performance-Based Awards that are deductible by the Company under Section 162(m) of the Code. As determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, the grant, vesting, exercisability and/or settlement of any Performance-Based Award shall be conditioned on the attainment of performance goals based upon one or more Performance Criteria during a performance period established by the Committee. Any such Award must meet the requirements of this Article X.
10.2     Performance Criteria .
(a)    For purposes of the Plan, the “Performance Criteria” for Participants who are or are likely to be Covered Employees are as follows:
(i)
Operating profit, including operating profit margins;
(ii)
Earnings per share (i.e., net income divided by a weighted average number of shares of Stock outstanding and dilutive common equivalent shares deemed outstanding);
(iii)
Net income;
(iv)
Investment performance of the Company’s investment strategies (collectively or single strategy, individually);
(v)
Operating income (i.e., income from operations excluding unusual items);
(vi)
Calculation of the Company’s intrinsic value;
(vii)
Return on equity (i.e., net income divided by average shareholders’ equity);
(viii)
Return on sales (i.e., operating income before incentive compensation divided by revenue); and
(ix)
Revenue (i.e., net sales).
(b)    Performance Criteria may relate to the individual Participant, the Company, one or more of its Affiliates or one or more of their respective divisions or business units, or any combination of the foregoing, and may be applied on an absolute basis and/or be relative to one or more peer group companies or indices, or any combination thereof, in each case, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
10.3     Establishment of Performance Goals . With respect to Performance-Based Awards for Participants who are or are likely to be Covered Employees, the Committee shall establish: (a) the applicable performance goals and performance period and (b) the formula for computing the Performance-Based Award. Such terms and conditions shall be established in writing while the outcome of the applicable performance period is substantially uncertain, but in no event later than the earlier of: (i) 90 days after the beginning of the applicable performance period; or (ii) the expiration of 25% of the applicable performance period.
10.4     Certification of Performance . With respect to Performance-Based Awards for Participants who are or are likely to be Covered Employees, the Committee shall certify in writing whether the applicable performance goals and other material terms imposed on such Performance-Based Awards have been satisfied, and, if they have, ascertain the amount of the applicable Performance-Based Award. No such Performance-Based Award shall vest, become exercisable and/or be settled, as the case may be, until the Committee makes this certification.
10.5     Modifying Performance-Based Awards . To the extent consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code, performance goals relating to such Performance-Based Awards may be calculated without regard to extraordinary items or adjusted, as the Committee deems equitable, in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company and/or its Affiliates or changes in applicable tax laws or accounting principles.
10.6     Negative Discretion . In the Committee’s sole discretion, the amount of a Performance-Based Award actually paid to a Participant may be less than the amount determined by the applicable performance goal formula.
ARTICLE XI
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT OR SERVICE





11.1     Effect of Termination of Employment or Service. With respect to each Award granted under the Plan, the Committee shall, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, determine the extent to which the Award shall vest and the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise and/or receive settlement of the Award on or following the Participant’s termination of employment or services with the Company and/or any Affiliate. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee at any time prior to or after such termination, shall be included in the related Award Agreement or an amendment thereto, need not be uniform among all Awards granted under the Plan and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
11.2     Default Provisions. If the Award Agreement does not specify the effect of a Participant’s termination of employment or services with the Company and/or any Affiliate on the vesting, exercisability and/or settlement of Awards, the following provisions shall apply:
(a)     Death, Disability or Retirement . In the event of a Participant’s death, Disability or Retirement: (i) all exercisable Awards may be exercised for the remainder of the term of such Award (provided, however, that any Incentive Stock Option that is not exercised within 12 months following the Participant’s death , Disability or Retirement will be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option); (ii) a pro rata portion of all unvested Awards shall vest, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, based on the amount of time elapsed during the vesting period prior to the date of death, Disability or Retirement, or the attainment of the performance objectives or Performance Goals, as applicable, over the portion of the Performance Period elapsed as of the date of death, Disability or Retirement; and (iii) all unvested Awards that do not vest pursuant to this Section 11.2(a) shall terminate and be forfeited as of the date of death, Disability or Retirement.
(b)     Termination for Cause. If a Participant is terminated for Cause, all Awards, whether or not vested and/or exercisable, shall terminate and be forfeited as of the date of termination.
(c)     Other Termination. If a Participant terminates for any other reason: (i) all exercisable Awards may be exercised for the remainder of the term of such Award (provided, however, that any Incentive Stock Option that is not exercised within three months following the Participant’s termination will be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option); and (ii) all unvested Awards shall terminate and be forfeited as of the date of termination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall any Performance-Based Award granted to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code, be settled or become exercisable in full, upon the termination of employment of the Covered Employee without regard to the satisfaction of the related Performance Criteria.
ARTICLE XII
CHANGE IN CONTROL
12.1     In General. Except as otherwise provided in the related Award Agreement, in the event of a Change in Control, all outstanding Awards shall become immediately vested and exercisable and the Committee, in its sole discretion, may take such actions, if any, as it deems necessary or desirable with respect to any such Awards, including, without limitation: (a) by providing for a cash payment in exchange for the cancellation of an Award; or (b) the issuance of substitute Awards that substantially preserve the value, rights and benefits of any affected Awards. Any action relating to an Award that is subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be consistent with the requirements thereof.
12.2     Effect of Section 280G of the Code. Unless specified otherwise in the associated Award Agreement or in another written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, if the Company concludes that any payment or benefit due to a Participant under the Plan, when combined with any other payment or benefit due to the Participant from the Company or any other entity (collectively, the “Payor”), would be considered a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, the Payor will reduce the payments and benefits due to the Participant under the Plan to $1.00 less than the amount that would otherwise be considered a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code. Any reduction pursuant to this Section 12.2 shall be made in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
13.1     In General . The Board or the Committee may amend or terminate the Plan at any time; provided, however, that no amendment or termination shall be made without the approval of the Company’s shareholders to the extent that (a) the amendment materially increases the benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan, (b) the amendment materially increases the aggregate





number of Shares authorized for grant under the Plan (excluding an increase in the number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan as a result of Section 2.4), (c) the amendment materially modifies the requirements as to eligibility for participation in the Plan, or (d) such approval is required by any law, regulation or stock exchange rule.
13.2     Repricing . Except for adjustments made pursuant to Section 2.4 of the Plan, in no event may the Board or the Committee amend the terms of an outstanding Award to reduce the exercise price of an outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right or cancel an outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for cash, other Awards or Options or Stock Appreciation Rights with an exercise price that is less than the exercise price of the original Option or Stock Appreciation Right without shareholder approval.
ARTICLE XIV
TRANSFERABILITY
14.1     Non-Transferability. Except as described in Section 14.2 or as provided in a related Award Agreement, an Award may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, except by will or the laws of descent and distribution and, during a Participant’s lifetime, may be exercised only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Article XIV, no Award may be transferred by a Participant for value or consideration.
14.2     Beneficiary. Unless otherwise specifically designated by the Participant in writing, a Participant’s beneficiary under the Plan shall be the Participant’s spouse or, if no spouse survives the Participant, the Participant’s estate.
ARTICLE XV
MISCELLANEOUS
15.1     No Right to Continued Service or to Awards . The granting of an Award under the Plan shall impose no obligation on the Company or any Affiliate to continue the employment or services of a Participant or interfere with or limit the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate the services of any Employee or Director at any time. In addition, no Employee or Director `shall have any right to be granted any Award, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants. The terms and conditions of Awards and the Committee’s interpretations and determinations with respect thereto need not be the same with respect to each Participant.
15.2     Tax Withholding .
(a)    The Company or an Affiliate, as applicable, shall have the power and the right to deduct, withhold or collect any amount required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising with respect to an Award granted under the Plan. This amount may, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, be (i) withheld from other amounts due to the Participant, (ii) withheld from the value of any Award being settled or any Shares being transferred in connection with the exercise or settlement of an Award, (iii) withheld from the vested portion of any Award (including the Shares transferable thereunder), whether or not being exercised or settled at the time the taxable event arises, (iv) collected directly from the Participant, or (v) satisfied through any combination of the methods described above.
(b)    Subject to the approval of the Committee, a Participant may elect to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company or an Affiliate, as applicable, withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to the minimum statutory total tax that could be imposed on the transaction; provided that such Shares would otherwise be distributable to the Participant at the time of the withholding and if such Shares are not otherwise distributable at the time of the withholding, provided that the Participant has a vested right to distribution of such Shares at such time. All such elections shall be irrevocable and made in writing and shall be subject to any terms and conditions that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
15.3     Requirements of Law . The grant of Awards and the issuance of Shares shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations (including applicable federal and state securities laws) and to all required approvals of any governmental agencies or national securities exchange, market or other quotation system. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to issue Shares under the Plan prior to: (a) receipt of any approvals from any governmental agencies or national securities exchange, market or quotation system that the Committee deems necessary; and (b) completion of registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable federal or state law or ruling of any governmental agency that the Committee deems necessary.
15.4     Legends . Certificates for Shares delivered under the Plan may be subject to such share transfer orders and other restrictions that the Committee deems advisable under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the Securities and Exchange





Commission, any stock exchange or other recognized market or quotation system upon which the Shares are then listed or traded, or any other applicable federal or state securities law. The Committee may cause a legend or legends to be placed on any certificates issued or stop orders imposed on Shares under the Plan to make appropriate reference to restrictions within the scope of this Section 15.4.
15.5     Uncertificated Shares . To the extent that the Plan provides for the issuance of certificates to reflect the transfer of Shares, the transfer of Shares may be effected on a noncertificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or the applicable rules of any stock exchange.
15.6     Governing Law . The Plan and all Award Agreements shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of (other than laws governing conflicts of laws) the State of Ohio.
15.7     No Impact on Benefits . Awards are not compensation for purposes of calculating a Participant’s rights under any employee benefit plan that does not specifically require the inclusion of Awards in calculating benefits.
15.8     Rights as a Shareholder . Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or in a related Award Agreement, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a shareholder with respect to Shares covered by an Award unless and until the Participant becomes the record holder of such Shares.
15.9     Successors and Assigns . The Plan shall be binding on all successors and assigns of the Company and each Participant, including without limitation, the estate of such Participant and the executor, administrator or trustee of such estate, or any receiver or trustee in bankruptcy or representative of the Participant’s creditors.
15.10     Section 409A of the Code .
(a)    Awards granted pursuant to the Plan that are subject to Section 409A of the Code, or that are subject to Section 409A but for which an exception from Section 409A of the Code applies, are intended to comply with or be exempt from Section 409A of the Code, and the Plan shall be interpreted, administered and operated accordingly.
(b)    If a Participant is determined to be a “specified employee” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and as determined under the Company’s policy for determining specified employees), the Participant shall not be entitled to payment or to distribution of any portion of an Award that is subject to Section 409A of the Code (and for which no exception applies) and is payable or distributable on account of the Participant’s “separation from service” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) until the expiration of six months from the date of such separation from service (or, if earlier, the Participant’s death). Such Award, or portion thereof, shall be paid or distributed on the first business day of the seventh month following such separation from service.
(c)    Nothing in the Plan shall be construed as an entitlement to or guarantee of any particular tax treatment to a Participant, and none of the Company, its Affiliates, the Board or the Committee shall have any liability with respect to any failure to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
15.11     Savings Clause . In the event that any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.
ARTICLE XVI
EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM OF THE PLAN
The effective date of the Plan shall be the date on which the Plan is approved by the Company’s shareholders and the Plan shall terminate and no Awards may be granted after the tenth anniversary of this date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Incentive Stock Options shall be granted more than ten years after the date the Plan is approved by the Board. The termination of the Plan shall not preclude the Company from complying with the terms of Awards outstanding on the date the Plan terminates.




Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors
Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc.:

We consent to the use of our reports dated March 7, 2014, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2013, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, incorporated herein by reference.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Columbus, Ohio
June 26, 2014






Exhibit 24.1
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS , that each of the undersigned officers and/or directors of Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc., an Ohio corporation, which is about to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., under the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, a Registration Statement on Form S-8 for the registration of 600,000 common shares, each without par value, for offering and sale pursuant to the Diamond Hill Investment Group, Inc. 2014 Equity and Cash Incentive Plan, hereby constitutes and appoints R. H. Dillon and James F. Laird, Jr., and each of them, as the undersigned’s true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigned’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign such Registration Statement and any and all amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and substitute or substitutes, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all things that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , each of the undersigned has executed this instrument to be effective as of June 23, 2014.

 
Signature
  
Title
 
 
/s/ R. H. Dillon
  
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
  R. H. Dillon
  
 
 
 
/s/ James F. Laird, Jr.
  
Chief Financial Officer and Director
  James F. Laird, Jr.
  
 
 
 
/s/ Randolph J. Fortener
  
Director
  Randolph J. Fortener
  
 
 
 
/s/ Donald B. Shackelford
  
Director
  Donald B. Shackelford
  
 
 
 
/s/ Bradley C. Shoup
  
Director
  Bradley C. Shoup
  
 
 
 
/s/ Frances A. Skinner
  
Director
  Frances A. Skinner