Stifel Financial Corp Decreases Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Stifel Financial Corp lowered its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,349 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 421 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $5,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV raised its holdings in Morningstar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 2,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $719,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Morningstar by 38.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, George Kaiser Family Foundation boosted its stake in Morningstar by 0.7% during the second quarter. George Kaiser Family Foundation now owns 7,693 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,276,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morningstar Price Performance

Morningstar stock opened at $352.91 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $15.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.62 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $343.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $318.92. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.51 and a 1 year high of $362.01.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $569.40 million during the quarter.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $360.67.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total value of $248,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 12,840 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,261,339.20. The trade was a 5.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total transaction of $3,219,003.64. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,738,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,814,431,929.28. This represents a 0.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 49,188 shares of company stock valued at $16,823,772. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.