Insider Selling: Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells 7,062 Shares of Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,062 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.95, for a total value of $2,188,866.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 9,466,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,934,263,485.35. This trade represents a 0.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.2%

MORN stock opened at $309.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a PE ratio of 40.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Morningstar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $250.34 and a twelve month high of $365.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $288.03 and its 200-day moving average is $317.27.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.13. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $581.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $589.07 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were given a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after buying an additional 2,751 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 194.9% in the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 4,276 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 2,826 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 41.4% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,464 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,821 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $891,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Finally, Willner & Heller LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth $207,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.