Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

MORN has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Atlantic lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ MORN opened at $322.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $343.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $325.19. Morningstar has a one year low of $269.51 and a one year high of $365.00. 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 company has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.58 and a beta of 1.20.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.01). Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The business had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In related news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,235.52. This trade represents a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 118 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.13, for a total transaction of $40,371.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,788,378 shares in the company, valued at $3,691,027,765.14. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 51,661 shares of company stock worth $17,723,744. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Morningstar by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Morningstar by 3.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV raised its stake in Morningstar by 2.2% in the third quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 2,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 15.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 413 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Morningstar by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 832 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.