Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Sells 3,223 Shares

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. The trade was a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.7 %

MORN stock traded up $2.62 during trading on Monday, reaching $355.53. The stock had a trading volume of 112,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,289. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $269.51 and a 1-year high of $365.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $343.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $319.33. The company has a market capitalization of $15.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.62 and a beta of 1.19.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The company had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a $0.455 dividend. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 2,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 38.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, George Kaiser Family Foundation grew its stake in Morningstar by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation now owns 7,693 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,276,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MORN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic cut Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group initiated coverage on Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

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.