Morningstar, Inc. $MORN Stock Position Decreased by M&G PLC

M&G PLC cut its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 155,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 8,753 shares during the period. M&G PLC owned approximately 0.38% of Morningstar worth $35,991,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Morningstar by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 0.3% in the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 13,902 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,225,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Claret Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 7.4% in the second quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 744 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 5.2% during the second quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 3.5% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,932 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.89, for a total transaction of $1,528,952.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 8,609,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,815,692,673.63. This represents a 0.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 55,824 shares of company stock worth $10,098,686 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 36.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MORN. UBS Group set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 price objective on Morningstar in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $265.00.

Key Morningstar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates: Morningstar posted stronger-than-expected EPS and solid revenue with notably strong operating cash flow — a classic fundamental driver for investor buying (press release). Q4 press release
• Positive Sentiment: New index licensing deal: Morningstar partnered to launch Catholic-principles equity indexes with the Vatican Bank — a recurring-revenue product that can expand index/data licensing fees and distribution. Vatican bank teams with Morningstar on Catholic stock indexes
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary: Coverage questioning semiliquid/private-market funds and Morningstar’s related analysis may influence advisor sentiment but is unlikely to move core revenue immediately. Article on semiliquid funds
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio rebalancing by Morningstar Investment Management (e.g., shifts in Berkshire, Meta, TSMC) signals client-level activity that informs asset-management revenues but doesn’t change corporate guidance. Portfolio moves
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Chairman Joseph Mansueto has executed several small open‑market sales this week (multiple Form 4 filings). While tiny vs. his stake, visible insider sales can create short‑term caution among investors. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and profit headwinds: operating profit and net income were down year-over-year despite revenue growth — investors should watch margin trends and expense pacing in coming quarters. Earnings rundown

Morningstar Trading Up 3.9%

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $160.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $204.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 0.99. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $149.08 and a 52 week high of $330.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $634.43 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 27.94%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.45%.

Morningstar Company Profile

Morningstar, Inc is a leading provider of independent investment research, data, and analytics, serving both individual investors and financial professionals. The company offers comprehensive coverage of financial products, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, bonds and market indexes. Morningstar’s proprietary rating systems and research methodologies help clients assess the risk and return profiles of investment opportunities and make informed decisions.

Its core products include Morningstar Direct, an institutional investment analysis platform; Morningstar Office Cloud, a portfolio management solution for advisors; and Morningstar Data, which delivers extensive datasets through APIs and data feeds.