Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Director Sells $61,968.00 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.84, for a total value of $61,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,346,254.80. The trade was a 4.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Morningstar stock traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $310.65. 218,702 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 141,811. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $250.34 and a fifty-two week high of $365.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $13.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.04 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $288.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $317.10.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued 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 business had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.07 million. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MORN. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Morningstar by 5,066.7% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.