Willner & Heller LLC Takes $207,000 Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Willner & Heller LLC purchased a new stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 616 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 101.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 93.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter worth $58,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morningstar Trading Down 0.4 %

MORN opened at $327.17 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $14.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.22 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $341.66 and its 200-day moving average is $326.67. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $269.51 and a 1-year high of $365.00.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a $0.455 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.04%.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. This trade represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,661 shares of company stock worth $17,723,744 in the last quarter. 37.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MORN shares. 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 report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $360.67.

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.