Alliancebernstein L.P. Increases Stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,728 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of Morningstar worth $11,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in 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 bought a new stake in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 64.2% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 271 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.44, for a total transaction of $1,182,974.40. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,142,694 shares in the company, valued at $3,300,838,335.36. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MORN has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MORN traded up $3.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $286.29. 21,920 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,926. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $300.22 and a 200 day moving average of $324.36. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 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 market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84 and a beta of 1.16.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $580.81 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Morningstar's payout ratio is 21.24%.

Morningstar 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.