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

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 7,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.57, for a total value of $1,243,882.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 8,053,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,381,655,268.84. This trade represents a 0.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Morningstar Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ MORN opened at $172.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. Morningstar, Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.08 and a 52-week high of $316.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $175.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.42.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Morningstar during the second quarter worth $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar during the third quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar during the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Morningstar during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar Credit Analytics launched new Corporate Credit Analytics tools aimed at improving transparency and consistency in private credit analysis. Morningstar Credit Analytics Cuts Through Private Market Opacity with Standardized Corporate Credit Analytics
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar-related editorial content on star ratings and active ETF fees may reinforce brand awareness, but it is unlikely to move the stock materially. Morningstar Star Ratings Explained: How to Use Them to Pick Stocks How Active ETFs Are Reshaping Fund Fees
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider filings show Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold additional shares, following prior sales earlier in the week; investors may interpret the repeated selling as a mild negative signal. SEC insider filing for Joseph D. Mansueto sale
• Negative Sentiment: CFO Michael Holt sold a small number of shares, adding to the insider-selling narrative, though the transaction was limited in size. SEC insider filing for Michael Holt sale

Morningstar Company Profile

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.