Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MORN. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.8 %

Morningstar stock opened at $346.21 on Friday. Morningstar has a twelve month low of $269.51 and a twelve month high of $352.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $14.85 billion, a PE ratio of 45.73 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $332.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $313.06.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $351.05, for a total value of $1,342,766.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,791,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,788,313,949. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,300,963.20. The trade was a 5.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,541 shares of company stock valued at $20,234,838 in the last quarter. Insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Morningstar by 154.0% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 320,186 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $94,727,000 after buying an additional 194,122 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,201,708 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $383,489,000 after acquiring an additional 102,206 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Morningstar by 13.9% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 696,023 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $222,115,000 after acquiring an additional 85,098 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar in the third quarter worth about $19,666,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 10.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 400,520 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $127,814,000 after purchasing an additional 39,263 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.