Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Sold by Ceera Investments LLC

Ceera Investments LLC lowered its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 0.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,796 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Morningstar accounts for 1.2% of Ceera Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $2,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,576,670 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $737,546,000 after acquiring an additional 23,812 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,075,731 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $307,917,000 after purchasing an additional 67,983 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 562,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $173,334,000 after purchasing an additional 28,164 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Morningstar by 45.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 509,486 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $145,835,000 after buying an additional 160,281 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $85,814,000. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 721 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.94, for a total transaction of $225,629.74. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 10,532,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,295,963,253.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 721 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.94, for a total value of $225,629.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,532,253 shares in the company, valued at $3,295,963,253.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.98, for a total transaction of $86,124.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,925 shares in the company, valued at $1,165,646.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 55,175 shares of company stock worth $17,024,254 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Trading Down 2.3 %

MORN traded down $7.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $304.72. 49,755 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 113,761. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $309.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $301.56. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $219.45 and a 1-year high of $330.22. The company has a market cap of $13.03 billion, a PE ratio of 61.56 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $571.90 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 11.34% and a return on equity of 22.34%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 12th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 12th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.73%.

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.