Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $279.17 and last traded at $279.83, with a volume of 8061 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $282.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MORN has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $320.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $329.08. The stock has a market cap of $12.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.98 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. Morningstar had a net margin of 14.69% and a return on equity of 23.28%. The firm had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $580.81 million.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,716 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.89, for a total transaction of $562,659.24. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 17,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,235.52. The trade was a 15.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 53,703 shares of company stock valued at $17,349,106. Insiders own 37.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 497,411 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $158,772,000 after purchasing an additional 10,437 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Morningstar by 2.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 191,765 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $61,196,000 after purchasing an additional 5,045 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Morningstar by 12.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,843 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,056,000 after buying an additional 1,789 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Morningstar by 259.3% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 13,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,394,000 after buying an additional 9,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Morningstar in the third quarter worth approximately $3,181,000. Institutional investors own 57.02% 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.