Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto Sells 3,214 Shares

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 3,214 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.84, for a total value of $523,367.76. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 8,212,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,314,055.28. The trade was a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN traded down $6.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.35. 836,170 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 528,560. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $150.00 and a one year high of $330.55. The firm has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $208.27 and a 200-day moving average of $226.89.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Morningstar in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Morningstar during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 120.5% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 172 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Morningstar in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 target price on Morningstar in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Morningstar from $350.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Morningstar

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar partnered with the Vatican bank to launch Catholic-themed equity indexes — a product licensing and index services win that can drive recurring index licensing fees, expand Morningstar’s institutional client base, and boost its ESG/faith-based product footprint. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar Investment Management executed portfolio moves (increasing Berkshire Hathaway B, cutting Meta Platforms, trimming Taiwan Semiconductor) — these reflect the firm’s active asset-management positioning but are unlikely to meaningfully change Morningstar’s fee revenue in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets preview Morningstar’s upcoming Q4 earnings — the report and guidance could be a near-term catalyst; investors should watch AUM trends, subscription/licensing revenue, and margin commentary. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fund commentary (Baron Durable Advantage Fund) referenced Morningstar’s category performance — useful for context on how Morningstar-rated categories and related products are performing, but not directly impactful to Morningstar’s corporate results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph Mansueto disclosed small open‑market sales on Feb. 9–10 (1,653 shares at ~$165 and 3,214 shares at ~$162.84, ~0.02–0.04% reductions in his holding). While the amounts are modest relative to his remaining stake, insider selling can weigh on short-term sentiment. Read More.

About Morningstar

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.