First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 1,681 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,886 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,681 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.07% of Morningstar worth $10,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Morningstar by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,626 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Morningstar by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 285 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ MORN traded up $10.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $293.19. The company had a trading volume of 219,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 136,722. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $288.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $320.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. 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 $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th were given a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. This is a positive change from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's payout ratio is 21.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MORN. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.25, for a total value of $2,557,749.50. Following the sale, the chairman now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

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.