Two Sigma Investments LP Makes New Investment in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 36,237 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,203,000. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.08% of Morningstar at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Smith Group Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $468,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 1,073 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 19.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,563 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,751 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 305,014 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $102,719,000 after purchasing an additional 13,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,077 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.4%

MORN traded down $1.29 on Thursday, hitting $305.26. 196,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,353. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $250.34 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $12.90 billion, a PE ratio of 40.33 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $290.57 and its 200-day moving average is $315.66.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.455 dividend. This is a positive change from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on MORN. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.84, for a total transaction of $61,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,346,254.80. This trade represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.25, for a total value of $2,557,749.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 10,038,270 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,833,301,707.50. This trade represents a 0.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,695 shares of company stock worth $21,620,366 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

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.