Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,585 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,207,000.
A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MORN. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Morningstar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,803,611 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $944,144,000 after purchasing an additional 51,598 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 130,087 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 561,431 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $189,116,000 after acquiring an additional 64,020 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth about $111,694,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 305,014 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $102,719,000 after acquiring an additional 13,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.
Morningstar Stock Up 0.3%
MORN stock traded up $0.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $306.67. 147,649 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 141,795. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $316.85.
Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The company had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $589.07 million.
Morningstar Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were given a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's payout ratio is currently 20.45%.
Insider Activity at Morningstar
In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,080 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $323.46, for a total transaction of $1,319,716.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,072,938 shares in the company, valued at $3,258,192,525.48. The trade was a 0.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 75,045 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,523 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have issued reports on MORN. 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Morningstar
Morningstar Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Morningstar, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Morningstar wasn't on the list.
While Morningstar currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
If a company's CEO, COO, and CFO were all selling shares of their stock, would you want to know? MarketBeat just compiled its list of the twelve stocks that corporate insiders are abandoning. Complete the form below to see which companies made the list.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
