Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $102.72 Million Stock Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 305,014 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,155 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.71% of Morningstar worth $102,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in Morningstar by 64.2% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 271 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.44, for a total value of $1,182,974.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,142,694 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,300,838,335.36. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock worth $18,770,097. 36.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Morningstar Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of MORN stock traded up $10.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $293.25. 40,358 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 136,033. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.56 billion, a PE ratio of 38.75 and a beta of 1.16. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.34 and a 1-year high of $365.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $288.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $320.07.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $581.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.07 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is a boost from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.24%.

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.