Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 207.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,059 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,064 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Morningstar by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,222 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,814,000. BCGM Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Morningstar by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,308 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MORN has been the subject of several analyst reports. TheStreet upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MORN traded up $3.64 during trading on Thursday, hitting $290.98. 92,186 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 127,116. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.78 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $180.48 and a 12-month high of $316.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $301.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.73.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $542.80 million during the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 21.79%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.73%.

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In related news, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total value of $383,512.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 44,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,630,647.87. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.65, for a total transaction of $1,021,892.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,883,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,967,403,451.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven N. Kaplan sold 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.81, for a total transaction of $383,512.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 44,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,630,647.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 88,618 shares of company stock worth $25,798,460 in the last 90 days. 39.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.