Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Has $2.11 Million Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,379 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $2,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 232 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in Morningstar by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 896 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Morningstar by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 324 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in Morningstar by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,292 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,645,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Martin Capital Advisors LLP increased its position in Morningstar by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Martin Capital Advisors LLP now owns 4,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,247,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Stock Performance

Shares of MORN traded down $2.67 on Tuesday, reaching $300.34. 79,121 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 127,229. The firm has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.36 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.28 and a 12 month high of $316.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $299.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $279.20.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $538.70 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 18.54% and a net margin of 6.92%.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is 49.39%.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total value of $2,070,908.10. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 10,927,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,029,334,071.73. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,748 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.65, for a total value of $1,021,892.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,883,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,967,403,451.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total value of $2,070,908.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,029,334,071.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,544 shares of company stock valued at $27,733,515 in the last 90 days. 37.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MORN. TheStreet raised Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com raised Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

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.