Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Holdings Decreased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP reduced its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 41.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,257 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,600 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter worth $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 101.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 93.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Price Performance

NASDAQ MORN opened at $321.53 on Wednesday. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.51 and a fifty-two week high of $365.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $335.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $329.19. The firm has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.47 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

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 $0.455 dividend. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 24.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,235.52. The trade was a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 118 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chairman now owns 10,788,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,691,027,765.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,524 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,393 over the last 90 days. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

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.