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

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MORN. UBS Group initiated coverage on Morningstar in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. 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 note on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.6 %

Morningstar stock opened at $339.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.57 billion, a PE ratio of 44.89 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $344.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $322.53. Morningstar has a 12 month low of $269.51 and a 12 month high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued 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). Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The company had revenue of $569.40 million during the quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,300,963.20. This represents a 5.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,559,781,561.96. This represents a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,411 shares of company stock worth $17,961,104 in the last three months. 39.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MORN. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $895,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV grew its position in Morningstar by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 2,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation increased its stake in Morningstar by 0.7% during the second quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation now owns 7,693 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,276,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 15.7% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 413 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.