Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Hold"

StockNews.com lowered shares of Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday.

Morningstar Stock Down 1.4 %

MORN stock traded down $4.67 during trading on Monday, hitting $322.38. 117,390 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 113,453. Morningstar has a 1 year low of $273.56 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The firm's 50 day moving average is $330.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $329.39. The stock has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. This is a boost from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total transaction of $3,219,003.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,738,224 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,814,431,929.28. This trade represents a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. This trade represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,168 shares of company stock worth $10,840,546. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at $111,694,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at $56,584,000. Premier Fund Managers Ltd bought a new stake in Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth $50,694,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Morningstar by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,080,599 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $363,903,000 after buying an additional 130,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Morningstar by 9.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,201,708 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $383,489,000 after buying an additional 102,206 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.