Entropy Technologies LP Increases Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Entropy Technologies LP raised its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 265.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,857 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morningstar by 326.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Morningstar by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on MORN shares. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN stock opened at $345.47 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $264.79 and a 12-month high of $352.55. The company has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.64 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $327.49 and a 200-day moving average of $310.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The firm had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Morningstar’s payout ratio is currently 21.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.22, for a total transaction of $2,974,329.64. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,845,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,559,781,561.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.22, for a total value of $2,974,329.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,845,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,559,781,561.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $349.67, for a total transaction of $2,525,316.74. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,801,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,776,911,900.87. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 67,370 shares of company stock worth $21,909,493. 39.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Morningstar

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.