AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 70.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,100 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,403 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC's holdings in Morningstar were worth $4,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.86, for a total value of $2,962,005.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,109,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,429,412.62. This trade represents a 0.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 63,223 shares of company stock valued at $19,542,793 in the last quarter. 36.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.3%

MORN stock traded down $1.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $306.41. 138,942 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 139,762. The company has a market capitalization of $12.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.48 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $317.67. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $250.34 and a 12 month high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.13. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $589.07 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This is a positive change from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

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.