Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Sells $44,833.50 in Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) CFO Michael Holt sold 270 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.05, for a total value of $44,833.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,046,732.30. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Michael Holt also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 4th, Michael Holt acquired 1,000 shares of Morningstar stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.59 per share, for a total transaction of $186,590.00.

Morningstar Price Performance

Shares of MORN opened at $173.37 on Friday. Morningstar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $149.08 and a twelve month high of $316.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.77. Morningstar had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company had revenue of $644.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.91 million.

Morningstar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar Credit Analytics launched Corporate Credit Analytics, a new toolset designed to improve transparency and consistency in private credit analysis, which could support subscription and analytics revenue growth. Morningstar Credit Analytics Cuts Through Private Market Opacity with Standardized Corporate Credit Analytics
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s recent quarterly results were better than expected, with earnings and revenue both topping analyst estimates, reinforcing the fundamental case for the stock. Morningstar stock and earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Educational and editorial coverage about Morningstar’s star ratings and other investment content may help brand awareness, but it is unlikely to materially move the shares. Morningstar Star Ratings Explained: How to Use Them to Pick Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold additional shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider sales that some investors may view cautiously. SEC filing for Joseph D. Mansueto sale
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Michael Holt also sold a small number of shares recently, reinforcing the insider-selling narrative, though the size was limited. SEC filing for Michael Holt sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Morningstar from $257.00 to $193.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group set a $280.00 price objective on Morningstar in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Morningstar by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 178 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 185 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 54.2% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Morningstar by 51.2% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 189 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Company 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.