Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Purchases Shares of 10,188 Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,188 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,431,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Morningstar by 178.6% during 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 last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in Morningstar by 64.2% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 271 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morningstar Price Performance

NASDAQ:MORN traded up $10.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $293.19. 219,947 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 136,722. The company has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73 and a beta of 1.16. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $250.34 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $288.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $320.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $2.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $581.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 paid a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 4th. This is an increase from Morningstar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MORN shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Morningstar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 10,038,270 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,833,301,707.50. The trade was a 0.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company's stock.

About Morningstar

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.