Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Sold by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lessened its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 70.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 218 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 517 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $73,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 5,431 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 14,815 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,996,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in shares of Morningstar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 10,682 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,597,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 115.2% in the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 56,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $19,071,000 after acquiring an additional 30,320 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.25, for a total value of $2,557,749.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,038,270 shares in the company, valued at $2,833,301,707.50. This trade represents a 0.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097. 39.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Morningstar stock opened at $298.12 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $12.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $315.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $328.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $278.64 and a one year high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.81 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th.

Morningstar 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.