Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Stake Lessened by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,077 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $3,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Morningstar in the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Morningstar by 93.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jason Dubinsky sold 3,223 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.88, for a total value of $1,137,332.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 17,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,235.52. This trade represents a 15.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,280 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.57, for a total value of $410,329.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,130,378 shares in the company, valued at $3,247,495,275.46. The trade was a 0.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,106 shares of company stock worth $7,878,540 in the last quarter. 37.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN opened at $328.45 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $331.48 and a 200-day moving average of $329.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.39 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $269.51 and a 12-month high of $365.00.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be given a $0.455 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. This is a positive change from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is 24.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

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.