Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group began coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MORN opened at $339.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $14.57 billion, a PE ratio of 44.89 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $344.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $323.01. Morningstar has a 12-month low of $269.51 and a 12-month high of $365.00.

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

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total transaction of $248,910.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,261,339.20. The trade was a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.13, for a total transaction of $40,371.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,788,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,691,027,765.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,661 shares of company stock valued at $17,723,744 over the last ninety days. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 101.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 93.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Hedge funds and other 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.