Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $4.89 Million Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 598 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $4,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Morningstar by 9.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,201,708 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $383,489,000 after acquiring an additional 102,206 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Morningstar by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 950,512 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $303,327,000 after purchasing an additional 5,158 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 804,293 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $256,666,000 after buying an additional 28,698 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Morningstar by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 696,023 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $222,115,000 after buying an additional 85,098 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Morningstar by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 497,411 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $158,772,000 after buying an additional 10,437 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,235.52. This trade represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $562,659.24. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,328,450,736.80. The trade was a 0.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 53,703 shares of company stock worth $17,349,106 in the last quarter. Insiders own 37.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MORN shares. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN stock opened at $287.53 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52 week low of $278.64 and a 52 week high of $365.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.32 billion, a PE ratio of 37.98 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $320.35 and its 200-day moving average is $329.08.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $580.81 million.

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.