George Kaiser Family Foundation Acquires 1,656 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. $MORN

Key Points

• The George Kaiser Family Foundation increased its stake in Morningstar, Inc. by 21.5% during Q1, now owning 9,349 shares valued at approximately $2.8 million.
• Morningstar recently reported earnings of $2.40 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.455 with a yield of 0.7%.
• Analysts have adjusted their ratings on Morningstar, with BMO Capital Markets raising their price target to $355.00 while Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "buy" to "hold".

George Kaiser Family Foundation lifted its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 21.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,349 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,656 shares during the period. Morningstar makes up approximately 0.4% of George Kaiser Family Foundation's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. George Kaiser Family Foundation's holdings in Morningstar were worth $2,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MORN. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,497,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 29.6% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,469 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,230,000 after buying an additional 4,906 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,705 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 22,989 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,723,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Morningstar stock traded up $1.92 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $262.29. The stock had a trading volume of 723,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 223,694. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock's 50 day moving average is $287.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $295.53. The stock has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.93 and a beta of 0.96.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.19. Morningstar had a net margin of 17.22% and a return on equity of 23.54%. The business had revenue of $605.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $605.84 million.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 11th were issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 11th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Morningstar's payout ratio is presently 19.38%.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.08, for a total transaction of $1,871,080.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 9,347,481 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,412,397,896.48. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 67,897 shares of company stock worth $18,175,199. Insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MORN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morningstar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.67.

Morningstar Company 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.