16,000 Shares in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Acquired by Tribune Investment Group LP

Tribune Investment Group LP acquired a new position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 16,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,388,000. Morningstar accounts for about 3.0% of Tribune Investment Group LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 271 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Morningstar Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:MORN opened at $273.35 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $301.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $324.60. The stock has a market cap of $11.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.11 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $250.34 and a 12 month high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $580.81 million. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.455 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.24%.

Insider Transactions at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.44, for a total value of $1,182,974.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,142,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,300,838,335.36. This represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 in the last ninety days. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

About Morningstar

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.