Joseph Mansueto Sells 7,250 Shares of Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.21, for a total value of $1,132,522.50. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 8,198,253 shares in the company, valued at $1,280,649,101.13. The trade was a 0.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN opened at $160.03 on Friday. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $149.08 and a one year high of $330.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $204.60 and its 200-day moving average is $224.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MORN. UBS Group set a $280.00 price objective on Morningstar in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $265.00.

Institutional Trading of Morningstar

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 120.5% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 172 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar News Summary

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.