Versant Capital Management Inc Has $96,000 Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 285 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $96,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the third quarter worth $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 93.6% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on MORN shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Morningstar in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.7 %

MORN stock opened at $334.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.35 billion, a PE ratio of 44.22 and a beta of 1.19. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.51 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $344.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $324.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total transaction of $3,219,003.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,738,224 shares in the company, valued at $3,814,431,929.28. The trade was a 0.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total transaction of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. The trade was a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 51,661 shares of company stock valued at $17,723,744 over the last 90 days. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Morningstar 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.