Premier Fund Managers Ltd Sells 110,215 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. $MORN

Premier Fund Managers Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 54.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,592 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 110,215 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned approximately 0.22% of Morningstar worth $21,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MORN. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 1.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 626,941 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $196,839,000 after purchasing an additional 11,408 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP increased its stake in Morningstar by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP now owns 391,816 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $123,003,000 after purchasing an additional 68,896 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Morningstar by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 318,478 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $73,891,000 after buying an additional 82,154 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $93,224,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Morningstar by 691.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 293,969 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $92,286,000 after buying an additional 256,806 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 6,608 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.34, for a total value of $1,066,134.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 8,170,354 shares in the company, valued at $1,318,204,914.36. This trade represents a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 69,223 shares of company stock worth $11,544,354 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 36.20% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Trading Down 1.5%

Morningstar stock opened at $159.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $199.12 and a 200-day moving average of $220.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $149.08 and a one year high of $328.70.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $641.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $634.43 million. Morningstar had a return on equity of 27.94% and a net margin of 15.30%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. Morningstar’s payout ratio is presently 22.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MORN shares. UBS Group set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Morningstar from $257.00 to $193.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.50.

Key Morningstar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Appointment of Scott Brown as President, Direct Platform — a senior hire (effective Mar 2) intended to accelerate Morningstar’s direct/advisor platform growth; this could help expand subscription and platform revenues if execution succeeds. Morningstar Names Scott Brown as President of Direct Platform Business
• Positive Sentiment: Hired an Experian veteran to lead the direct platform push — another leadership move signaling focused investment in direct channels, which could improve client acquisition and margins over time. Morningstar taps Experian veteran to lead direct platform push
• Neutral Sentiment: Research product mention — Morningstar published its Safe Retirement Withdrawal Rate for 2026 at 3.9%, reinforcing its role as a trusted research provider; useful for brand and client engagement but unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Morningstar Safe Retirement Withdrawal Rate For 2026 Is 3.9%
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets cut its price target on MORN to $193 (from $257) — a material downward adjustment that reduces analyst-implied valuation and can trigger short-term selling or limit buying interest. BMO Capital Markets Lowers Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Price Target to $193.00
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated insider sales by Chairman Joseph Mansueto (multiple Form 4 filings Feb 17–20 totaling small blocks at ~ $159–$162) — while the sales are tiny relative to his large remaining stake, they add to headline selling and can amplify short‑term downward pressure. SEC Form 4 filing (Mansueto insider sales)

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.