Joseph D. Mansueto Sells 9,062 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.86, for a total transaction of $2,962,005.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,109,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,304,429,412.62. This trade represents a 0.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN traded down $1.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $327.11. 174,576 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 113,336. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $330.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $329.39. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $270.44 and a one year high of $365.00. The stock has a market cap of $14.03 billion, a PE ratio of 43.21 and a beta of 1.20.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Morningstar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,895,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Morningstar by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Morningstar by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Morningstar by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,798 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.