Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Sells 1,948 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Key Points

• Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC has reduced its stake in Morningstar, Inc. by 8.2%, selling 1,948 shares and holding 21,783 shares, valued at approximately $6.53 million.
• In related news, several institutional investors have increased their investments in Morningstar, including Larson Financial Group LLC, which grew its stake by 5,066.7%.
• Morningstar reported a second-quarter earnings per share of $2.40, exceeding estimates, but revenues of $605.10 million were slightly below projections, reflecting a net margin of 17.22%.

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,783 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,948 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC owned 0.05% of Morningstar worth $6,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Morningstar in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 5,066.7% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Morningstar by 172.3% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Morningstar during the first quarter worth about $95,000. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $61,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,345 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,346,254.80. The trade was a 4.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,311 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.67, for a total transaction of $1,128,059.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 9,401,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,460,092,336.69. This trade represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,398 shares of company stock valued at $15,079,996 in the last ninety days. 36.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MORN stock opened at $258.92 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $294.72 and a 200-day moving average of $298.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $250.34 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The company has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.57 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Morningstar's payout ratio is presently 19.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of 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 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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