Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 557.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,266 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,313 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Morningstar were worth $2,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $968,000 after buying an additional 535 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Morningstar by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,563 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,751 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $565,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,982,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of MORN stock traded up $10.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $293.19. The company had a trading volume of 219,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,058. The stock has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $287.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $319.72. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $250.34 and a 52-week high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $589.07 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were issued 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 0.62%. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $562,659.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,328,450,736.80. The trade was a 0.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock worth $18,770,097. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

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.