Key Points
- Morningstar Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 4,002 shares on May 8 at an average price of $177.08, totaling about $708,674. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and reduced his ownership only slightly.
- Morningstar’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $3.18 versus the $2.41 consensus and revenue of $644.8 million versus estimates of $626.91 million. The company also posted strong profitability metrics, including a 16.06% net margin and 33.14% return on equity.
- Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans neutral, with MarketBeat data showing an average rating of “Hold” and a $236.50 price target. Recent actions include a Wall Street Zen upgrade to Buy, while Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock to Sell.
Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 4,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.08, for a total value of $708,674.16. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 8,103,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,434,921,739.20. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Morningstar Stock Down 0.2%
Shares of NASDAQ:MORN opened at $175.82 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $177.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.35. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $149.08 and a 12-month high of $316.71. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.
Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $3.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.77. The company had revenue of $644.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.91 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 33.14%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Morningstar
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its stake in Morningstar by 61.0% during the first quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 834 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Morningstar by 15.6% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,007 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Morningstar by 9.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 517,769 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $87,514,000 after purchasing an additional 45,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 28.4% in the first quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 135,215 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $22,858,000 after purchasing an additional 29,933 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.02% of the company's stock.
Morningstar News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:
- Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 4,002 shares at an average price of $177.08, trimming his ownership slightly in a transaction executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. SEC filing
- Negative Sentiment: He also sold 7,250 additional shares at an average price of $175.96, further reducing his stake modestly, which may be viewed as a bearish signal by some investors despite the planned nature of the sale. SEC filing
- Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar’s own editorial coverage highlighted themes such as fiscal risks, dividend investing, and AI-related opportunities, but these articles are informational and not direct company catalysts. Article
- Neutral Sentiment: The company also published “25 New 4-Star Stocks This Week,” which supports Morningstar’s core research brand but is unlikely to move the stock by itself. Article
- Positive Sentiment: Articles citing Morningstar data noted strong investor demand for dividend strategies and highlighted Morningstar research showing cheaper funds can outperform, reinforcing the value of the company’s analytics franchise. Article
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have issued reports on MORN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Morningstar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Morningstar from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group set a $280.00 price target on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Morningstar from $257.00 to $193.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $236.50.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MORN
Morningstar Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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