Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 7,300 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,090,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,489 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the first quarter worth $425,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Morningstar during the 1st quarter valued at $387,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Morningstar by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,069,710 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $292,213,000 after buying an additional 16,952 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its holdings in Morningstar by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 1,871 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morningstar from a "c" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.8 %

MORN stock traded down $2.47 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $292.38. The stock had a trading volume of 86,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,095. The firm has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.14 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.28 and a 52-week high of $316.05. The business has a 50-day moving average of $298.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $277.50.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 18.54%. The business had revenue of $538.70 million during the quarter.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar's payout ratio is currently 49.39%.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 12,650 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.12, for a total transaction of $3,771,218.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,859,171 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,237,336,058.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 6,926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.39, for a total transaction of $1,935,055.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,934,986 shares in the company, valued at $3,055,125,738.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 12,650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.12, for a total transaction of $3,771,218.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,859,171 shares in the company, valued at $3,237,336,058.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,544 shares of company stock valued at $27,733,515 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 37.70% 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.