Joseph Mansueto Sells 6,939 Shares of Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 6,939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.74, for a total transaction of $1,073,740.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 8,205,503 shares in the company, valued at $1,269,719,534.22. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Morningstar Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $160.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 1.08. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.08 and a 52-week high of $330.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $204.60 and a 200 day moving average of $224.60.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.37. Morningstar had a return on equity of 26.36% and a net margin of 15.30%.The company had revenue of $641.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $634.43 million.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Morningstar’s payout ratio is currently 22.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 3.4% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Morningstar by 278.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Morningstar by 270.3% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Morningstar by 28.8% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 228 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 target price on Morningstar in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group set a $280.00 price objective on Morningstar in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $265.00.

Trending Headlines about Morningstar

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 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.