Joseph Mansueto Sells 7,250 Shares of Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.96, for a total value of $1,275,710.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 8,095,990 shares in the company, valued at $1,424,570,400.40. This trade represents a 0.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Morningstar Stock Down 5.5%

MORN opened at $166.22 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $176.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $149.08 and a one year high of $316.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93 and a beta of 0.99.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.77. Morningstar had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 16.06%.The business had revenue of $644.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $626.91 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MORN shares. Weiss Ratings cut Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group set a $280.00 target price on Morningstar in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Morningstar from $257.00 to $193.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.50.

Key Stories Impacting Morningstar

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 4,002 shares at an average price of $177.08, which can weigh on investor sentiment even though the trade was made under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: He also sold an additional 7,250 shares at an average price of $175.96, adding to the perception that insider activity is leaning cautious. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar-related articles highlighted strong demand for dividend strategies and cited Morningstar research showing cheaper funds can outperform, reinforcing the company’s data and analytics franchise. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar also published market commentary and “25 New 4-Star Stocks This Week,” which supports the brand but does not appear to be a direct stock catalyst. Article

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Morningstar

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

About Morningstar

Morningstar, Inc is a leading provider of independent investment research, data, and analytics, serving both individual investors and financial professionals. The company offers comprehensive coverage of financial products, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks, bonds and market indexes. Morningstar’s proprietary rating systems and research methodologies help clients assess the risk and return profiles of investment opportunities and make informed decisions.

Its core products include Morningstar Direct, an institutional investment analysis platform; Morningstar Office Cloud, a portfolio management solution for advisors; and Morningstar Data, which delivers extensive datasets through APIs and data feeds.