Answer:
six months
Step-by-step explanation:
Restricted shares are form of securities that are gotten in private sales, from an affiliate of the issuer or through an issuing house. Basically, restricted securities are a form of compensation given to investors in exchange for providing start up capital to a company hence are issued through employee stock benefit plans, private placements, regulation offerings etc.
According to rule 144, before an investor could sell any restricted securities in the market place, such securities must be held for a certain period of time, usually six months for a reporting company, who is subject to the reporting requirements of SEC 1949.
However, where the issuer of the securities is not subjected to reporting requirements of SEC, then the investor could hold them for a period of one year.