Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells $40,371.34 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 118 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.13, for a total value of $40,371.34. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,788,378 shares in the company, valued at $3,691,027,765.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Morningstar Trading Down 0.9 %

MORN traded down $3.20 during trading on Monday, reaching $334.37. 244,370 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 119,135. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $329.41 and its 200 day moving average is $311.69. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.51 and a 12 month high of $352.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.34 billion, a PE ratio of 44.59 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic cut Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Institutional Trading of Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Morningstar by 326.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar during the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.