Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Holdings Lifted by Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.

Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,962 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $11,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MORN. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at $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. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Morningstar by 93.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 125.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 250 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MORN shares. UBS Group started coverage on Morningstar in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MORN stock opened at $330.91 on Wednesday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $269.51 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $14.19 billion, a PE ratio of 43.71 and a beta of 1.20. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $341.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $326.85.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $569.40 million during the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a $0.455 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Morningstar’s payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 118 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.13, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total value of $248,910.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,261,339.20. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 51,661 shares of company stock valued at $17,723,744. Insiders own 37.70% 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.