Nicholas Company Inc. Increases Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 115.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,320 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. owned 0.13% of Morningstar worth $19,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MORN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Stock Performance

NASDAQ MORN opened at $286.94 on Friday. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $278.64 and a fifty-two week high of $365.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.90 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $318.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $328.72.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The company had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.81 million.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.86, for a total transaction of $2,962,005.32. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 10,109,617 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,429,412.62. This represents a 0.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,542 shares of company stock worth $18,769,523. 37.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

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.