AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 5,403 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 70.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,403 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $4,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Morningstar by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.53, for a total transaction of $551,773.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,131,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,298,158,628.74. This represents a 0.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 66,198 shares of company stock worth $20,504,896 in the last ninety days. 36.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Morningstar Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $303.80 on Friday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.34 and a 1-year high of $365.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $286.30 and a 200 day moving average of $318.17. The company has a market capitalization of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.13 and a beta of 0.99.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $589.07 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 20.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

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.