Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Acquired by V Square Quantitative Management LLC

V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 49.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $47,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lifted its stake in Morningstar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 25,261 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,507,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at about $122,000. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $214,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT grew its holdings in Morningstar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 4,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Precision Wealth Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,564 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN stock opened at $325.02 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $333.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $329.22. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.51 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $13.94 billion, a PE ratio of 42.94 and a beta of 1.20.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This is a boost from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Morningstar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total transaction of $3,219,003.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,738,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,814,431,929.28. The trade was a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,235.52. This represents a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 23,106 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,540. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.