Xponance Inc. Lowers Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Xponance Inc. cut its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,658 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Morningstar during the third quarter valued at $42,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Morningstar by 55.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 194 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 42.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 284 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of MORN stock opened at $300.41 on Wednesday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.28 and a 12-month high of $316.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $300.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $279.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.59 and a beta of 1.15.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 18.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. The firm had revenue of $538.70 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. Morningstar’s payout ratio is currently 49.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total transaction of $383,512.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 44,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,630,647.87. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total value of $2,070,908.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,029,334,071.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total value of $383,512.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 44,427 shares in the company, valued at $13,630,647.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,544 shares of company stock valued at $27,733,515 over the last ninety days. 37.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MORN shares. TheStreet upgraded Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Morningstar 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.