Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 207.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,059 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,064 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 55.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 194 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Price Performance

Morningstar stock traded up $3.64 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $290.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 92,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,116. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $301.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.73. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.48 and a 12 month high of $316.05. The company has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a PE ratio of 58.78 and a beta of 1.15.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 21.79%. The firm had revenue of $542.80 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,668 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.69, for a total value of $2,136,994.92. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,916,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,042,233,269.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,668 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.69, for a total value of $2,136,994.92. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,916,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,042,233,269.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,748 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.65, for a total value of $1,021,892.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,883,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,967,403,451.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 88,618 shares of company stock worth $25,798,460. 39.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MORN. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

Morningstar Company Profile

Morningstar, Inc provides independent investment insights in the United States, Asia. Australia, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in five segments: Morningstar Data and Analytics; PitchBook; Morningstar Wealth; Morningstar Credit; and Morningstar Retirement.