Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $4.37 Million Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc cut its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 28.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,972 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,283 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $4,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth $71,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.25, for a total value of $2,557,749.50. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 10,038,270 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,301,707.50. The trade was a 0.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 63,223 shares of company stock valued at $19,542,793 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN opened at $306.41 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $250.34 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $317.60. 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 stock has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a PE ratio of 40.48 and a beta of 0.99.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $589.07 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.45%.

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.