Morningstar, Inc. $MORN Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 149,383 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 16,874 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned 0.40% of Morningstar worth $28,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the second quarter valued at $545,937,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 2nd quarter worth about $324,792,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Morningstar during the 4th quarter worth about $62,367,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Morningstar during the second quarter valued at about $36,272,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Morningstar during the second quarter valued at about $30,051,000. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Morningstar Stock Up 1.4%

Morningstar stock traded up $2.67 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $192.71. The company had a trading volume of 59,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 477,627. Morningstar, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.49 and a fifty-two week high of $228.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $201.50 and its 200-day moving average is $182.79.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $3.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.83 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $663.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $649.72 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 38.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MORN shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Morningstar in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Morningstar from $280.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Morningstar from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $212.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morningstar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Morningstar

In other news, Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 5,659 shares of Morningstar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.84, for a total transaction of $1,238,415.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 7,938,192 shares in the company, valued at $1,737,193,937.28. The trade was a 0.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 86,500 shares of company stock worth $17,824,451. 38.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Morningstar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend maintained: Morningstar plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, supporting the investment case for income-oriented shareholders and signaling continued confidence in cash generation. Morningstar Plans Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: New Chicago headquarters: Morningstar will relocate its global headquarters to the renovated Thompson Center in downtown Chicago, joining Google under a roughly 275,000-square-foot lease. The move is scheduled for late 2028 and includes a planned $5 million community investment. The announcement could improve the company’s visibility and workplace strategy, but it does not materially change near-term earnings expectations. Morningstar Announces New Global Headquarters
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary on Indian SIFs: CEO Kunal Kapoor said investors should treat India’s new Specialized Investment Funds as satellite holdings rather than core portfolio positions, emphasizing diversification, simplicity and cost discipline. The comments reinforce Morningstar’s advisory perspective but have limited direct financial impact on MORN. Morningstar CEO Comments on SIFs
• Negative Sentiment: Potential occupancy and transition costs: A 275,000-square-foot headquarters lease could increase fixed office expenses and generate relocation or build-out costs. Because the benefits are primarily longer term and lease terms were not disclosed, investors may view the announcement as adding financial commitments without an immediate earnings catalyst. Morningstar Thompson Center Lease

Morningstar Company Profile

Morningstar, Inc is a global provider of independent investment research, data, and analytical services. The company serves individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, institutions, and retirement plan providers through information and tools designed to support investment research, portfolio construction, wealth management, and financial planning.

Its offerings include ratings and research on mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, stocks, bonds, and other investments; portfolio management and investment research platforms such as Morningstar Direct and Morningstar Advisor Workstation; and data, analytics, and software for asset managers and financial institutions.