Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Has $5.32 Million Stock Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,796 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,362 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $5,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Morningstar during the third quarter worth $58,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Activity

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total value of $562,659.24. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,328,450,736.80. The trade was a 0.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $301.88 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $12.93 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $327.70. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $278.64 and a 1-year high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The company 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s payout ratio is presently 21.24%.

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.