Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Several other research analysts have also commented on MORN. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Down 0.3 %

MORN stock traded down $1.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $343.27. The company had a trading volume of 75,929 shares, compared to its average volume of 115,548. Morningstar has a 1 year low of $259.50 and a 1 year high of $349.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $14.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.35 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $325.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.16.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.01). Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The business had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morningstar news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.60, for a total value of $233,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,340 shares in the company, valued at $4,468,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.60, for a total transaction of $233,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,468,344. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.30, for a total transaction of $1,571,989.70. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,610,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,239,402,441.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,492 shares of company stock worth $19,430,128 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 37.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MORN. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Morningstar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 326.9% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 111 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Morningstar by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Morningstar

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.