Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,796 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,362 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in Morningstar were worth $5,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,452,000. Bryce Point Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth $1,011,000. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $405,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 561,431 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $189,116,000 after purchasing an additional 64,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Morningstar by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 28,121 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $9,470,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Morningstar stock traded up $4.44 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $262.29. The stock had a trading volume of 53,909 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,187. 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 capitalization of $11.23 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60 and a beta of 1.16. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $251.53 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $308.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $326.79.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This is a boost from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MORN. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.44, for a total value of $1,182,974.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,142,694 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,300,838,335.36. The trade was a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.