Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Acquired by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 705 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Morningstar by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,201,708 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $383,489,000 after acquiring an additional 102,206 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 0.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 950,512 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $303,327,000 after purchasing an additional 5,158 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 804,293 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $256,666,000 after purchasing an additional 28,698 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.9% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 696,023 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $222,115,000 after purchasing an additional 85,098 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Morningstar by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 497,411 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $158,772,000 after buying an additional 10,437 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,235.52. This represents a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total value 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 approximately $3,814,431,929.28. The trade was a 0.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 32,168 shares of company stock worth $10,840,546. 39.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MORN opened at $322.38 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.59 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $330.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $329.73. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $273.56 and a one year high of $365.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid 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 is Friday, October 3rd. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is 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, February 17th.

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.