Invesco LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Invesco LLC lowered its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 888 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 112 shares during the period. Invesco LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Morningstar by 9.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,201,708 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $383,489,000 after acquiring an additional 102,206 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 696,023 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $222,115,000 after purchasing an additional 85,098 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,666,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 10.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 400,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $127,814,000 after buying an additional 39,263 shares during the period. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Morningstar by 61.3% in the third quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 88,378 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,203,000 after buying an additional 33,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Morningstar stock traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $329.97. The company had a trading volume of 3,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,706. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $269.51 and a 52-week high of $365.00. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average of $340.01 and a 200 day moving average of $327.96.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MORN. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

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 stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. This represents a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.45, for a total value of $2,985,475.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,836,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,570,136,319.20. The trade was a 0.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,911 shares of company stock valued at $17,474,834 in the last quarter. 39.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.