Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Acquired by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,029 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,535 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.21% of Morningstar worth $30,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Morningstar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,803,611 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $944,144,000 after purchasing an additional 51,598 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,080,599 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $363,903,000 after buying an additional 130,087 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 561,431 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $189,116,000 after buying an additional 64,020 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at $111,694,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake 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 buying an additional 13,155 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Trading Down 1.5%

MORN opened at $305.82 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $289.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $316.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $250.34 and a 12 month high of $365.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.40 and a beta of 0.99.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $589.07 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.455 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's payout ratio is currently 20.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,103 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.08, for a total transaction 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 $2,926,419,690.24. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,346,254.80. This represents a 4.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,045 shares of company stock worth $22,867,523 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th.

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.

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