Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,318 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 915 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 326.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the second quarter worth about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN opened at $354.15 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $336.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $315.16. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.51 and a 1 year high of $359.50. The stock has a market cap of $15.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.78 and a beta of 1.18.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.40%.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total value of $248,910.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,261,339.20. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.22, for a total value of $2,974,329.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 10,845,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,559,781,561.96. This trade represents a 0.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 58,019 shares of company stock valued at $19,531,012. Insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MORN. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Morningstar in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

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.