B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Buys Shares of 9,968 Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,968 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,181,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the first quarter worth $426,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Morningstar by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in Morningstar by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 17,696 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,997 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the first quarter valued at about $1,207,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $406,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MORN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $352.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $335.77 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.51 and a 1 year high of $352.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50-day moving average is $330.54 and its 200-day moving average is $312.28. The company has a market capitalization of $14.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.36 and a beta of 1.18.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 21.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.48, for a total value of $237,360.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,590 shares in the company, valued at $4,300,963.20. This represents a 5.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,724 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.27, for a total value of $1,781,709.48. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,551,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,284,364,782.46. This trade represents a 0.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 61,541 shares of company stock worth $20,234,838. Company 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.