O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,031 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth $301,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Morningstar by 10.3% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,371 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,076,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the third quarter valued at about $452,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,562 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 667 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 46.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 5,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 1,747 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total value of $562,659.24. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,151,120 shares in the company, valued at $3,328,450,736.80. This trade represents a 0.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 over the last 90 days. 39.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN opened at $257.85 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.06 and a beta of 1.16. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $251.53 and a fifty-two week high of $365.00. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $308.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $326.79.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $580.81 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.24%.

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.