Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Morningstar from $339.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of MORN stock traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $311.09. 168,687 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,872. Morningstar has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The stock has a market cap of $13.14 billion, a PE ratio of 34.95 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $304.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.66.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.13. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 16.60%. The firm had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $589.07 million.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.25, for a total value of $2,155,062.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 9,495,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,822,598,311.25. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 53,569 shares of company stock valued at $16,333,474 over the last three months. Insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 37.8% in the first quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 153 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 5,066.7% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 172.3% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 177 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.