Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,796 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring 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 SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MORN. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Morningstar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,803,611 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $944,144,000 after purchasing an additional 51,598 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $363,903,000 after buying an additional 130,087 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 804,293 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $256,666,000 after buying an additional 28,698 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 64,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 400,520 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $127,814,000 after acquiring an additional 39,263 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Morningstar Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of MORN traded down $11.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $257.61. 182,289 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 129,008. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $253.35 and a 52 week high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $11.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.86 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $327.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million for 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be given a $0.455 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. This is a boost from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's payout ratio is currently 21.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chairman now owns 10,142,694 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,300,838,335.36. The trade was a 0.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 59,544 shares of company stock worth $18,770,097 in the last quarter. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morningstar Company 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.