National Bank of Canada FI Raises Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,121 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.07% of Morningstar worth $9,470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Morningstar by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 64.2% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 271 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $562,659.24. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,328,450,736.80. This trade represents a 0.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock worth $18,770,097. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Morningstar Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of MORN stock traded down $10.91 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $257.85. 308,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,456. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $253.35 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $309.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $327.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.06 and a beta of 1.16. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million during 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.24%.

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.