Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock Holdings Lifted by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 49.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 467 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 32,785 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,462,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in Morningstar during the third quarter worth approximately $1,982,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Morningstar by 8.1% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter valued at approximately $565,000. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $322.36 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $343.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $325.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.58 and a beta of 1.20. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $269.51 and a 52-week high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

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 paid a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is a boost from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. 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. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total transaction of $248,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,261,339.20. This trade represents a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. The trade was a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 51,661 shares of company stock worth $17,723,744. Insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

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.