Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto Sells 1,653 Shares

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 1,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $272,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 8,215,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,355,583,240. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Morningstar Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of MORN traded down $6.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.35. The stock had a trading volume of 836,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,560. The firm has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $208.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $226.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Morningstar, Inc. has a twelve month low of $150.00 and a twelve month high of $330.55.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Morningstar’s payout ratio is currently 22.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MORN shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $250.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Morningstar from $350.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Morningstar

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar partnered with the Vatican bank to launch Catholic-themed equity indexes — a product licensing and index services win that can drive recurring index licensing fees, expand Morningstar’s institutional client base, and boost its ESG/faith-based product footprint. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar Investment Management executed portfolio moves (increasing Berkshire Hathaway B, cutting Meta Platforms, trimming Taiwan Semiconductor) — these reflect the firm’s active asset-management positioning but are unlikely to meaningfully change Morningstar’s fee revenue in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets preview Morningstar’s upcoming Q4 earnings — the report and guidance could be a near-term catalyst; investors should watch AUM trends, subscription/licensing revenue, and margin commentary. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fund commentary (Baron Durable Advantage Fund) referenced Morningstar’s category performance — useful for context on how Morningstar-rated categories and related products are performing, but not directly impactful to Morningstar’s corporate results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph Mansueto disclosed small open‑market sales on Feb. 9–10 (1,653 shares at ~$165 and 3,214 shares at ~$162.84, ~0.02–0.04% reductions in his holding). While the amounts are modest relative to his remaining stake, insider selling can weigh on short-term sentiment. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Morningstar in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Morningstar by 270.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 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.