Insider Selling: Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells $410,329.60 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.57, for a total value of $410,329.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,130,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,247,495,275.46. This trade represents a 0.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of Morningstar stock opened at $325.02 on Monday. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $269.51 and a one year high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $13.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.94 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $333.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $329.22.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the third quarter worth $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 101.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.