Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Purchased by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 795.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,600 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,300 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Morningstar were worth $6,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,798 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Morningstar by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Morningstar by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 416 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 467 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN stock traded down $1.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $304.98. 203,958 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,396. Morningstar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $250.34 and a twelve month high of $365.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $12.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.35 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $290.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $315.66.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $589.07 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This is a boost from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.45%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Caroline J. Tsay sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 now directly owns 4,345 shares in the company, valued at $1,346,254.80. This represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.25, for a total value of $2,557,749.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,038,270 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,833,301,707.50. The trade was a 0.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,695 shares of company stock valued at $21,620,366 over the last three months. Insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th.

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.