Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. Has $7.31 Million Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. boosted its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 14.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,387 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,114 shares during the period. Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. owned 0.06% of Morningstar worth $7,313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $111,694,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,584,000. Premier Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,694,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Morningstar by 30,785.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 144,237 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $43,252,000 after purchasing an additional 143,770 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,080,599 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $363,903,000 after purchasing an additional 130,087 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,103 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.08, for a total value of $1,582,338.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 9,437,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,926,419,690.24. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.84, for a total value of $61,968.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,346,254.80. This trade represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,569 shares of company stock valued at $16,333,474 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN traded up $0.12 on Wednesday, reaching $310.00. 263,693 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 152,175. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average is $299.14 and its 200-day moving average is $309.78. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $250.34 and a fifty-two week high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.07 million. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 16.60%.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th will be given a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 11th. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report 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.