Sepio Capital LP Lowers Stock Position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Sepio Capital LP lessened its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,937 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 69 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MORN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Morningstar by 178.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MORN. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.57, for a total value of $410,329.60. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,130,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,247,495,275.46. This trade represents a 0.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 59,544 shares of company stock valued at $18,770,097 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN opened at $268.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $309.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $327.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.50 and a beta of 1.16. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $268.31 and a 52-week high of $365.00.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $591.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.81 million.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.455 dividend. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.24%.

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.