Insider Selling: Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Sells 3,223 Shares of Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,235.52. This represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Morningstar Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ MORN traded up $2.62 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $355.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 112,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,289. 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 12 month low of $269.51 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The stock has a market cap of $15.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.62 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $319.33.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The company had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

Institutional Trading of Morningstar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 1.6% during the second quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 2.2% during the third quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 2,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 38.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, George Kaiser Family Foundation lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation now owns 7,693 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,276,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.