Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 5,283 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,972 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,283 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $4,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MORN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 8,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total value of $2,751,980.77. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,096,098 shares in the company, valued at $3,310,409,573.22. This trade represents 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 through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 63,223 shares of company stock worth $19,542,793 over the last 90 days. 36.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $306.41 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $317.60. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.48 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $250.34 and a 52-week high of $365.00.

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

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 issued a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MORN shares. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday.

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.