Morningstar, Inc. $MORN Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 91,155 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,109 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $21,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at $131,000. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 6.7% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,185 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Morningstar by 26.5% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,346 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,240,000 after buying an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Morningstar by 17.1% in the third quarter. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 57,475 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,643,000 after buying an additional 8,403 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $165.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 1.08. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $164.62 and a one year high of $330.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 22.75%.

Morningstar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Client win / product adoption: Morningstar published a case study showing a financial firm transformed by its custom model-portfolio research, reinforcing demand for Morningstar’s advisory and institutional solutions. How One Financial Firm Transformed Through Custom Model Portfolio Research
• Positive Sentiment: Geographic / product expansion: Morningstar launched star ratings for UK managed portfolios, extending its ratings footprint and potentially opening new revenue from U.K. advisors and platforms. Morningstar launches star ratings for UK managed portfolios
• Neutral Sentiment: Thought leadership / media mentions: Morningstar commentary that recent AI-driven sector weakness was “an overreaction” and picks of bargain stocks highlights the firm’s analyst influence — positive for brand but unlikely to move revenue immediately. Morningstar says the week’s AI-fueled meltdown was a big overreaction and 2 stocks in particular are now a bargain buy for investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor resources content: Morningstar released updated tax‑planning and IRA resources for 2026 — useful for end users and advisor clients but not a near-term earnings driver. Morningstar’s Tax-Planning and IRA Resources for 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by founder/chairman: Joseph Mansueto sold multiple blocks of stock earlier this week (several filings showing sales on Feb. 4–6 totaling tens of thousands of shares), which can signal liquidity-taking and likely contributed to downward pressure on the share price given the timing and market sensitivity. Insider Selling: Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells 6,352 Shares of Stock

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 6,352 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.57, for a total transaction of $1,077,108.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 8,217,309 shares in the company, valued at $1,393,409,087.13. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.48, for a total transaction of $131,088.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,745 shares in the company, valued at $818,207.60. This trade represents a 13.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 58,905 shares of company stock worth $11,842,178. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Morningstar 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.