Entropy Technologies LP Grows Stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Entropy Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 265.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,857 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,801 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 245 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 38.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in Morningstar by 7.3% during the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 754 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 38.0% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,825 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.05, for a total value of $1,342,766.25. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,791,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,788,313,949. The trade was a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.60, for a total value of $233,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,340 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,468,344. The trade was a 4.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,195 shares of company stock valued at $23,252,260 in the last three months. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $352.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ MORN traded down $2.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $342.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 115,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,525. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $328.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $310.72. Morningstar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $264.79 and a twelve month high of $352.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.64 and a beta of 1.18.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 business 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.40%.

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.