Fact based stock research
Morningstar (NasdaqGS:MORN)

US6177001095

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Morningstar stock research in summary

morningstar.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 40 (worse than 60% compared with investment alternatives), Morningstar (Financial Exchanges & Data, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Morningstar are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 67) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 40, is a hold recommendation based on Morningstar's financial characteristics. As the company Morningstar's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 57) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 67), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 27) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	57
Growth Rank	67
Safety Rank	27
Combined Rank	40

Country	USA
Industry	Financial Exchanges & Data
Index	Dividends USA, Diversity USA, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 5, SDG 8, NASDAQ
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Morningstar

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	9	79	59	57
GROWTH
GROWTH	76	87	45	67
SAFETY
SAFETY	41	89	31	27
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	75	47	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	100	19	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Morningstar is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	9	79	59	57
GROWTH
GROWTH	76	87	45	67
SAFETY
SAFETY	41	89	31	27
COMBINED
COMBINED	22	98	26	40

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Morningstar the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), Morningstar shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Morningstar. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 87% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 37 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 63% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Morningstar's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 35 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 65% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 18 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 82% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on Morningstar's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Morningstar? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Morningstar only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	16	46	38	37
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	21	53	34	35
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	8	38	22	18
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	42	93	91	87
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	9	79	59	57

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Morningstar; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), Morningstar shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Morningstar. Profit Growth has a rank of 76, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 76% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 69 (above 69% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 39, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 61% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 41. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for Morningstar. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	47	64	44	39
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	40	73	10	76
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	42	73	41
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	81	89	63	69
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	76	87	45	67

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Morningstar.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), the company Morningstar has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Morningstar is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Morningstar. Liquidity is at 64, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 64% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 23, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 77% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 28, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Morningstar has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	38	55	24	28
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	23	43	35	23
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	65	98	73	64
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	41	89	31	27

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Morningstar and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	77	75	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	99	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	67	53	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	8	34	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	75	47	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Morningstar.
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