Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Sold by Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC trimmed its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) by 86.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,711 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 35,712 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC's holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smith Group Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at about $468,000. Oak Thistle LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 194.9% in the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 4,276 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 2,826 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Morningstar by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 1,073 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in Morningstar by 41.4% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 1,464 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 8,393 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $2,751,980.77. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,096,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,310,409,573.22. This represents a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 64,503 shares of company stock worth $19,953,122. 36.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MORN has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd.

Morningstar Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $303.80 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $317.91. 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 firm has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of 40.13 and a beta of 0.99. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $250.34 and a 1-year high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 given a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio is 20.45%.

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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