Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto Sells 7,222 Shares

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 10,801,361 shares in the company, valued at $3,776,911,900.87. This trade represents a 0.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $342.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.71 billion, a PE ratio of 45.31 and a beta of 1.18. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $264.79 and a 52 week high of $352.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $328.13 and a 200-day moving average of $310.72.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share 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 during the quarter.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 21.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scout Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 75.8% during the first quarter. Scout Investments Inc. now owns 42,549 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $13,034,000 after buying an additional 18,345 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Morningstar by 506.2% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,202 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,071,000 after acquiring an additional 11,024 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc grew its stake in shares of Morningstar by 2.0% in the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 173,105 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $51,239,000 after purchasing an additional 3,322 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the first quarter valued at $1,207,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 104.2% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,114 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.