Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Holdings Decreased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 23,605 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,330 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $6,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Morningstar by 3.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,552,858 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $597,981,000 after acquiring an additional 75,275 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 285,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $81,693,000 after purchasing an additional 68,574 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Morningstar by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,957,310 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $458,481,000 after purchasing an additional 19,119 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,961,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Morningstar by 74.3% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 50,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $11,712,000 after buying an additional 21,314 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Stock Performance

MORN opened at $292.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 89.14 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.28 and a 1 year high of $316.05. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $298.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $277.50.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 18.54% and a net margin of 6.92%. The business had revenue of $538.70 million for the quarter.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MORN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TheStreet raised Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total value of $2,070,908.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,029,334,071.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Morningstar news, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total value of $383,512.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 44,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,630,647.87. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total value of $2,070,908.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,029,334,071.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,544 shares of company stock worth $27,733,515 over the last three months. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

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.