Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Purchased by Nordea Investment Management AB

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,505 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,963 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $19,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $236,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 467 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Morningstar by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 1.9% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 32,785 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,462,000 after buying an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth $1,982,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. This represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were 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 owns 10,738,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,814,431,929.28. This trade represents a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 51,661 shares of company stock worth $17,723,744. 39.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MORN shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of 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 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Price Performance

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $322.36 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.51 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The firm has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.58 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $343.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $325.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a $0.455 dividend. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

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.