V Square Quantitative Management LLC Takes $30,000 Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 93 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $30,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Morningstar by 326.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Morningstar by 73.8% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 38.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MORN. UBS Group began coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $342.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.66 billion, a PE ratio of 69.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $219.45 and a 52 week high of $349.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $319.35 and its 200-day moving average is $306.41.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $571.90 million during the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 11.34%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total transaction of $237,360.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,590 shares in the company, valued at $4,300,963.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Morningstar news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total value of $237,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,300,963.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,144 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.03, for a total transaction of $362,682.32. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,640,768 shares in the company, valued at $3,373,442,679.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 59,541 shares of company stock worth $18,399,192. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

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.