Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto Sells 9,062 Shares of Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.86, for a total value of $2,962,005.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,109,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,304,429,412.62. This represents a 0.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.4 %

MORN opened at $327.11 on Friday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $270.44 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $14.03 billion, a PE ratio of 43.21 and a beta of 1.20. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $330.85 and a 200 day moving average of $329.39.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.