Insider Selling: Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells $523,367.76 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 3,214 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.84, for a total transaction of $523,367.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 8,212,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,314,055.28. 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 the SEC website.

Morningstar Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of MORN traded down $6.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $155.35. The company had a trading volume of 836,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,560. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $150.00 and a 52-week high of $330.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $208.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $226.89. The firm has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.08.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 22.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Morningstar by 3.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,151,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 278.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Morningstar by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 7,972 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Morningstar by 270.3% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar partnered with the Vatican bank to launch Catholic-themed equity indexes — a product licensing and index services win that can drive recurring index licensing fees, expand Morningstar’s institutional client base, and boost its ESG/faith-based product footprint. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar Investment Management executed portfolio moves (increasing Berkshire Hathaway B, cutting Meta Platforms, trimming Taiwan Semiconductor) — these reflect the firm’s active asset-management positioning but are unlikely to meaningfully change Morningstar’s fee revenue in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets preview Morningstar’s upcoming Q4 earnings — the report and guidance could be a near-term catalyst; investors should watch AUM trends, subscription/licensing revenue, and margin commentary. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fund commentary (Baron Durable Advantage Fund) referenced Morningstar’s category performance — useful for context on how Morningstar-rated categories and related products are performing, but not directly impactful to Morningstar’s corporate results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph Mansueto disclosed small open?market sales on Feb. 9–10 (1,653 shares at ~$165 and 3,214 shares at ~$162.84, ~0.02–0.04% reductions in his holding). While the amounts are modest relative to his remaining stake, insider selling can weigh on short-term sentiment. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MORN shares. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Morningstar from $350.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Morningstar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $285.00.

About Morningstar

Morningstar, Inc is a leading provider of independent investment research, data, and analytics, serving both individual investors and financial professionals. The company offers comprehensive coverage of financial products, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, bonds and market indexes. Morningstar’s proprietary rating systems and research methodologies help clients assess the risk and return profiles of investment opportunities and make informed decisions.

Its core products include Morningstar Direct, an institutional investment analysis platform; Morningstar Office Cloud, a portfolio management solution for advisors; and Morningstar Data, which delivers extensive datasets through APIs and data feeds.