Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Sold by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP cut its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 60.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,278 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew 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 valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter valued at about $58,000. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MORN opened at $298.12 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38 and a beta of 1.23. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $278.64 and a one year 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $315.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $328.20.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.81 million. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $562,659.24. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,328,450,736.80. This trade represents a 0.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 in the last quarter. Insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th.

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.