Morningstar, Inc. $MORN Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 166,257 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 11,311 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $25,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MORN. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,006,325 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $435,995,000 after acquiring an additional 47,360 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Morningstar by 85.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,136,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $246,910,000 after purchasing an additional 523,387 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Morningstar by 48.0% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 900,297 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $195,644,000 after purchasing an additional 292,053 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Morningstar by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 517,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $87,514,000 after purchasing an additional 45,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 448,870 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $75,881,000 after purchasing an additional 125,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 results support the bullish case. Morningstar reportedly exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue of $663.2 million versus expectations of $649.7 million and EPS of $3.10 versus $2.83. Another analysis cited 9.6% year-over-year revenue growth and 29.2% non-GAAP EPS growth. Morningstar: Undervalued With A Differentiated Business Model
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sees substantial valuation upside. Morningstar was characterized as undervalued, trading at roughly 15.6 times estimated 2026 earnings compared with its historical 35–40 times range. The analysis assigned a fair-value estimate of $246.40, above the current trading level, while highlighting strong cash flow, a conservative payout ratio and a 15-year dividend-growth streak. Morningstar: Undervalued With A Differentiated Business Model
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar’s industry commentary provides modest brand support. The company said artificial-intelligence-related power demand, rather than renewed ESG enthusiasm, is driving a recovery in sustainable ETF inflows. This may reinforce Morningstar’s visibility as a provider of investment research, but it does not represent a direct earnings forecast. AI, Not ESG, Is Driving the Revival in Sustainable ETFs
• Negative Sentiment: Director selling creates a minor overhang. Director William M. Lyons sold 1,000 shares for approximately $199,000, reducing his direct ownership by 7.19%. The transaction is relatively small compared with Morningstar’s market value and does not by itself indicate a change in business fundamentals. Morningstar Director Form 4 Filing

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William M. Lyons sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.00, for a total value of $199,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,567,896. This represents a 7.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 2,270 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.72, for a total value of $401,154.40. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 8,043,492 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,445,906.24. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 51,220 shares of company stock worth $8,896,294 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 38.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MORN. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $210.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a report on Thursday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Morningstar from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Morningstar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $227.33.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MORN opened at $198.93 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $172.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.93. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $141.49 and a 1 year high of $276.43. The company has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $3.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $663.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $649.72 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 38.57%.

Morningstar Profile

Morningstar, Inc is a leading provider of independent investment research, data, and analytics, serving both individual investors and financial professionals. The company offers comprehensive coverage of financial products, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, bonds and market indexes. Morningstar’s proprietary rating systems and research methodologies help clients assess the risk and return profiles of investment opportunities and make informed decisions.

Its core products include Morningstar Direct, an institutional investment analysis platform; Morningstar Office Cloud, a portfolio management solution for advisors; and Morningstar Data, which delivers extensive datasets through APIs and data feeds.