Morningstar, Inc. $MORN Shares Acquired by Tribune Investment Group LP

Tribune Investment Group LP lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 125.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the quarter. Morningstar accounts for approximately 4.6% of Tribune Investment Group LP’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Tribune Investment Group LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $10,795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,798 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Morningstar by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 516 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,200 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,559,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Morningstar by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,959 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.08, for a total value of $1,871,080.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 9,347,481 shares in the company, valued at $2,412,397,896.48. This trade represents a 0.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 60,647 shares of company stock worth $15,953,582 over the last quarter. Insiders own 36.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MORN. Wall Street Zen downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $361.67.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN opened at $262.29 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $287.00 and a 200-day moving average of $295.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.34 and a 1-year high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.19. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.54% and a net margin of 17.22%.The firm had revenue of $605.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $605.84 million.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 11th were paid a $0.455 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 11th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.38%.

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.