Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MORN. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Morningstar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of MORN stock opened at $340.32 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $14.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.96 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $344.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $321.04. 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 has a 12 month low of $269.51 and a 12 month high of $365.00.

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

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total value of $237,360.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,300,963.20. The trade was a 5.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.22, for a total transaction 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 $3,559,781,561.96. This trade represents a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,411 shares of company stock worth $17,961,104 in the last quarter. 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 business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Morningstar by 326.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.