Entropy Technologies LP Increases Stake in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

Entropy Technologies LP boosted its position in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 265.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,857 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $1,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 21.9% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 245 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Morningstar by 1.6% during the second quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 3,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Morningstar by 38.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morningstar by 7.3% in the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 754 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Morningstar by 38.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MORN shares. Redburn Atlantic cut Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group began coverage on Morningstar in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $352.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Morningstar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $360.67.

Morningstar Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of Morningstar stock opened at $345.47 on Thursday. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $264.79 and a 1-year high of $352.55. The company has a market capitalization of $14.81 billion, a PE ratio of 45.64 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $327.49 and a 200-day moving average of $310.48.

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

Morningstar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.90, for a total transaction of $1,212,424.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,581,130 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,342,578,967. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Morningstar news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 5,724 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.27, for a total value of $1,781,709.48. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 10,551,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,284,364,782.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 3,838 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.90, for a total value of $1,212,424.20. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,581,130 shares in the company, valued at $3,342,578,967. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 67,370 shares of company stock valued at $21,909,493. 39.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.