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

Martin Capital Advisors LLP lifted its position in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the quarter. Morningstar makes up 1.1% of Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MORN. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 232 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 896 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 3,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $742,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,292 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,645,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 10,501 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,868,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MORN has been the subject of several recent research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Morningstar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Morningstar Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Morningstar stock traded up $5.58 on Friday, hitting $297.96. The stock had a trading volume of 153,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,430. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Morningstar, Inc. has a one year low of $163.28 and a one year high of $316.05. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $298.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $277.50. The stock has a market cap of $12.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.14 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Morningstar Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Morningstar

In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 6,926 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.39, for a total value of $1,935,055.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 10,934,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,055,125,738.54. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 6,926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.39, for a total value of $1,935,055.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,934,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,055,125,738.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 1,297 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.69, for a total transaction of $399,073.93. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,775,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,315,521,594.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 95,544 shares of company stock worth $27,733,515 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Morningstar Company 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.