B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $3.18 Million in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,968 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,181,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. M&G Plc raised its holdings in Morningstar by 2.0% in the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 173,105 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $51,239,000 after acquiring an additional 3,322 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the first quarter worth about $1,207,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Morningstar by 295.4% in the second quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,637 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $780,000 after purchasing an additional 1,970 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Morningstar in the second quarter valued at about $9,366,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in Morningstar by 12.7% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 17,696 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,452,000 after buying an additional 1,997 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total value of $248,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,840 shares in the company, valued at $4,261,339.20. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,724 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.27, for a total transaction of $1,781,709.48. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,551,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,284,364,782.46. The trade was a 0.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 61,541 shares of company stock valued at $20,234,838 in the last three months. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morningstar Stock Performance

NASDAQ MORN traded up $4.30 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $340.07. The company had a trading volume of 114,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,189. 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 firm has a market cap of $14.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.02 and a beta of 1.18. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.51 and a fifty-two week high of $352.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $312.45.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MORN. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $352.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $360.67.

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.