Joseph Mansueto Sells 6,737 Shares of Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Stock

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold 6,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.09, for a total value of $1,071,789.33. Following the sale, the chairman owned 8,184,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,302,107,900.25. This represents a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Morningstar Price Performance

MORN stock opened at $161.85 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $200.21 and a 200-day moving average of $221.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Morningstar, Inc. has a 12 month low of $149.08 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17 and a beta of 1.08.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $641.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $634.43 million. Morningstar had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 27.94%.

Morningstar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.45%.

Morningstar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Morningstar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morningstar appointed Scott Brown as President, Direct Platform (effective March 2, 2026) — a senior hire signaling management’s commitment to expand its direct/advisor platform business and accelerate recurring-revenue growth. Morningstar Names Scott Brown as President of Direct Platform Business
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes Morningstar tapped an Experian veteran to lead the direct platform push — bringing outside data/tech experience that could speed product integrations and client onboarding. Morningstar taps Experian veteran to lead direct platform push
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar’s recent Q1 2026 U.S. Stock Market Outlook flags higher expected market volatility — this could boost demand for research and risk-management tools but timing and revenue impact are uncertain. 7 Most Volatile Stocks Under $5 for Day Trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Research from Morningstar on U.S. life insurers’ move into illiquid assets (and tighter NAIC oversight) highlights demand for data/analytics in insurance — a thematic win for Morningstar’s data products, but with indirect/longer-term revenue implications. Morningstar: US life insurers ramp up illiquid asset bets as NAIC tightens oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Joseph Mansueto sold multiple blocks of stock (Feb. 17–18) totaling several thousand shares and roughly $1.0–$1.2M per filing — insider selling can be perceived negatively by the market even though his remaining stake remains large. Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Chairman Sells $1,071,789.33 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets cut its price target to $193 (from $257) — a marked reduction that can weigh on sentiment and lower the stock’s near-term upside in investor models. BMO Capital Markets Lowers Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) Price Target to $193.00

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Morningstar in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Morningstar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Morningstar in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 120.5% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 172 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research 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 report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Morningstar from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group set a $280.00 target price on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Morningstar from $257.00 to $193.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.50.

Morningstar Company Profile

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.