Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP reduced its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 191,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,271 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.45% of Morningstar worth $61,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Morningstar by 326.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN stock opened at $342.99 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $328.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $310.72. The firm has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.31 and a beta of 1.18. 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 1 year low of $264.79 and a 1 year high of $352.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.60, for a total transaction of $233,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,468,344. This trade represents a 4.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,825 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.05, for a total value of $1,342,766.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,791,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,788,313,949. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,195 shares of company stock worth $23,252,260. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.