Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

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

Separately, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Morningstar Price Performance

NASDAQ:MORN traded up $4.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $291.09. 275,639 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 115,063. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $12.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.45 and a beta of 1.23. Morningstar has a 12 month low of $278.64 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $317.71 and a 200 day moving average of $328.70.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $580.81 million.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.44, for a total value of $1,182,974.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,142,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,300,838,335.36. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock worth $18,770,097 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MORN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. 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.