Martin Capital Advisors LLP Increases Stock Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Martin Capital Advisors LLP increased its stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 77 shares during the quarter. Morningstar comprises approximately 1.1% of Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in Morningstar by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,607,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,090,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar during the 4th quarter valued at $867,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Morningstar by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 285,398 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $81,693,000 after acquiring an additional 68,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 896 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of MORN stock traded up $5.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $297.96. The stock had a trading volume of 153,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,430. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $163.28 and a 12-month high of $316.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $298.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $277.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.14 and a beta of 1.15.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $538.70 million during the quarter. Morningstar had a net margin of 6.92% and a return on equity of 18.54%.

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. Morningstar’s payout ratio is 49.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MORN. TheStreet raised shares of Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total transaction of $2,070,908.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,029,334,071.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.07, for a total value of $1,454,252.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,776,823 shares in the company, valued at $3,352,346,330.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 7,470 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.23, for a total transaction of $2,070,908.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,927,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,029,334,071.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,544 shares of company stock valued at $27,733,515 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

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.