AlphaQuest LLC Trims Holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

AlphaQuest LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 92.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 979 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 11,764 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $330,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 178.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 78 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 101.7% in the third 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 period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Morningstar by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 139 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.86, for a total transaction of $2,962,005.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 10,109,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,429,412.62. This trade represents a 0.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 59,542 shares of company stock valued at $18,769,523. Corporate insiders own 37.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $387.00 to $370.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.6 %

Morningstar stock opened at $286.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $318.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $328.59. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1-year low of $278.64 and a 1-year high of $365.00. The company has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a PE ratio of 37.90 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.15. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%. The company had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $580.81 million.

Morningstar 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.