Joseph D. Mansueto Sells 1,296 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,296 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.80, for a total value of $396,316.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 9,429,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,883,413,275.60. The trade was a 0.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of MORN traded up $4.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $309.02. 169,487 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,671. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $250.34 and a 52 week high of $365.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $290.14 and its 200-day moving average is $315.77. The company has a market cap of $13.06 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Morningstar

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

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.