Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells $1,319,716.80 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,080 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $323.46, for a total value of $1,319,716.80. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,072,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,258,192,525.48. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of MORN stock opened at $313.72 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.44 and a beta of 1.20. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $281.37 and a 52 week high of $365.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $327.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $330.03. 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 (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $580.81 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MORN. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $915,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Morningstar by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 98,337 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,116,000 after buying an additional 9,658 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 795.7% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 20,600 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,937,000 after acquiring an additional 18,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at $12,203,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.