Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Issues Earnings Results

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, reports. Morningstar had a return on equity of 22.28% and a net margin of 10.13%. The business had revenue of $542.80 million during the quarter.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of MORN opened at $287.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $300.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $279.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.07 and a beta of 1.15. Morningstar has a 52 week low of $163.28 and a 52 week high of $316.05.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total value of $383,512.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 44,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,630,647.87. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.07, for a total value of $1,454,252.25. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,776,823 shares in the company, valued at $3,352,346,330.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total value of $383,512.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 44,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,630,647.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 95,544 shares of company stock valued at $27,733,515. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MORN. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Morningstar by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 232 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 896 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 324 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 2,541 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $727,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,292 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,645,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on MORN. TheStreet raised Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

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.