Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Sells 734 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,731 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 734 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $7,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Morningstar by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $305.26 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $278.64 and a 12-month high of $365.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $315.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.33 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Morningstar’s payout ratio is currently 21.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MORN. StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total value of $562,659.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,151,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,328,450,736.80. The trade was a 0.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

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.