Company:Morningstar, Inc.

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Short description: US financial services company
Morningstar, Inc.
TypePublic company
IndustryInvestment research, Investment management
Founded1984; 40 years ago (1984)
FounderJoe Mansueto
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
,
U.S.
Key people
Joe Mansueto, Chairman
Kunal Kapoor, CEO
RevenueIncrease US$1.7 billion (2021)[1]
Increase US$257.0 million (2021)
Increase US$193.3 million (2021)
AUMIncrease US$249.4 billion (2021)
OwnerJoe Mansueto (39,7%)
Number of employees
9,556 (2021)
SubsidiariesMORNINGSTAR JAPAN K.K. (22,1%)
Websitemorningstar.com

Morningstar, Inc. is an American financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and was founded by Joe Mansueto in 1984. It provides an array of investment research and investment management services.

With operations in 29 countries, Morningstar's research and recommendations are considered by financial journalists as influential in the asset management industry, and a positive or negative recommendation from Morningstar analysts can drive money into or away from any given fund.[2][3] Through its asset management division, the firm currently manages over US$265 billion (As of March 2022).[4]

The firm also provides software and data platforms for investment professionals, including "Morningstar Direct" and "Morningstar Advisor Workstation".

History

Founder Joe Mansueto initially had the idea for Morningstar in 1982 while reviewing mutual fund annual reports he had requested from several prominent fund managers.[5] However, it was only after a year working as a stock analyst for Harris Associates, seeing the fund industry and potential competitors up close, that he was convinced that the opportunity was there.[5][6] Morningstar was subsequently founded in 1984 from his one-bedroom Chicago apartment with an initial investment of United States dollar 80,000.[7] The name Morningstar is taken from the last sentence in Walden, a book by Henry David Thoreau; "the sun is but a morning star".[7][8]

In July 1999, Morningstar accepted an investment of US$91 million from SoftBank in return for a 20 percent stake in the company. The two companies had formed a joint venture in Japan the previous year.[8][9]

Morningstar's initial public offering occurred on May 3, 2005, with 7,612,500 shares at $18.50 each.[10] The manner in which Morningstar went public is notable. They elected to follow Google's footsteps and use the OpenIPO method rather than the traditional method. This allowed individual investors to bid on the price of the stock, and allowed all investors equal access.

In 2006, Morningstar acquired Ibbotson Associates, Inc., an investment research firm[11]。In 2007, Morningstar acquired the mutual fund data business of S&P Global.[12]

In 2010, Morningstar acquired credit rating agency Realpoint and begins offering structured credit ratings and research to institutional investors.[13] In the same year, Morningstar acquired Old Broad Street Research Ltd. (OBSR), a UK-based provider of fund research, ratings and investment advisory services, for $18.3 million. After the acquisition, renamed as Morningstar OBSR.[14]

In 2014, Morningstar acquired ByAllAccounts, Inc., a provider of innovative data aggregation technology for financial applications.[15]

In 2016, Morningstar acquires remaining ownership of PitchBook Data for approximately $225 million.[16] In September 2016, Morningstar announced that it had appointed Kunal Kapoor as chief executive officer, effective January 2017, with Mansueto becoming executive chairman at the same time.[17][18]

In 2019, Morningstar to acquire the world's fourth largest credit rating agency DBRS for $669 million. After the acquisition, DBRS merged with Morningstar’s credit rating business[19]。

In 2020, Morningstar entered into an agreement to acquire Sustainalytics, a research and ratings firm specializing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) insights.[20] That same year, Morningstar agreed to acquire PlanPlus Global, a Canada-based financial planning and risk assessment software company.[21]

In 2021, Morningstar announced it would acquire the UK and international (including Jersey, Hong Kong and Dubai) operations of the Australian wealth management platform Praemium (ASX: PPS) for £35 million.[22]

In 2022, Morningstar announced that it will acquire the S&P Global-owned Leveraged Commentary & Data (LCD), a company specializing in leveraged loan market data, for $600 million up to $650 million.[23]

Products and services

Morningstar offers a wide array of products and services to both retail and institutional investors.

Morningstar Investment Management

Through its investment management subsidiary, Morningstar currently has over US$265 billion in assets under advisement and management.[4]

Morningstar Direct

Morningstar Direct is a software platform that provides data and analytics to help professional investment managers craft new products and portfolios.

Morningstar Office Cloud

Morningstar offers a single end-to-end cloud-based platform for investment advisors, known as Morningstar Office Cloud. The software allows financial advisors to manage their practice, gain access to data and research, analyze investments, and connect with investors.[24]

Morningstar Premium

The firm offers retail and individual investors with access to news, research, and stock, bond, and mutual fund analysis through its 'Morningstar Premium' subscription product.[25]

Credit Ratings (NRSRO)

In 2010, Morningstar acquired Realpoint, LLC, a former division of private-equity giant Capmark Finance and a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO).[26] The firm was rebranded as Morningstar Credit Ratings and competes with S&P, Moody's Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and similar Wall Street firms to provide research and ratings of structured debt products, including mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities.[27] Today, Morningstar Credit Ratings issues credit ratings on both structured financial products (CMBS, RMBS, CLOs) and corporate/financial institutions.[28]

On May 29, 2019, Morningstar publicly announced its intention to significantly expand the breadth and scope of its ratings business through a $669 million acquisition of DBRS.[29]

Influence and criticisms

Morningstar is considered powerful in the investment management industry, and the firm's ratings and recommendations often influence a fund's assets under management. The firm's "star" ratings are often used by fund managers in marketing materials, and positive star ratings bring a credibility to a fund's strategy. Morningstar's analysts and data are frequently quoted in outlets such as the New York Times , Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times.

In October 2017, the Wall Street Journal published a front-page feature story criticizing Morningstar's influence and questioned the predictive power of the firm's rating system.[30] In response, Morningstar provided a quantitative analysis showing that higher-rated funds outperform lower-rated funds, but cautioned against using the ratings as a definitive marker of future performance.[31][32]

Corporate identity

Morningstar's current logo was designed by the famed graphic designer Paul Rand.[33] The design features the "o" in Morningstar appearing as a rising sun, which is a nod to a Henry David Thoreau quote that inspired the company's name.[7] Mansueto considers the logo "one of our most valuable assets".[33]

Major offices

The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with major regional offices in New York City , London, Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other cities around the world.

See also

  • A. M. Best
  • American Association of Individual Investors
  • Bloomberg L.P.
  • Fitch Ratings
  • Moody's Investors Service
  • Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations
  • Reuters
  • Standard & Poor's
  • Value Line

References

  1. ↑ "Morningstar Press Release". https://s21.q4cdn.com/198919461/files/doc_financials/2021/ar/Annual-Report-_-2021.pdf. 
  2. ↑ "Dentons UKMEA LLP". https://www.ft.com/join/licence/a6338099-2efb-499b-a00e-0090b29b31ef/details?ft-content-uuid=e02d2768-22d2-11e4-8dae-00144feabdc0. 
  3. ↑ Del Guercio, Diane; Tkac, Paula (February 1, 2001). "Star Power: The Effect of Morningstar Ratings on Mutual Fund Flow". Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 37. doi:10.2139/ssrn.286157. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5026242. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Morningstar Latest Quarterly Results: Q1 2022". 27 April 2022. https://newsroom.morningstar.com/newsroom/news-archive/press-release-details/2022/Morningstar-Inc.-Reports-First-Quarter-2022-Financial-Results/default.asp. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Everything I Know, I Learned from Warren Buffett, Corporate Culture Article – Inc. Article". http://www.inc.com/magazine/19990701/811.html. 
  6. ↑ "Joe Mansueto and Bill Nygren: The Importance of Having Conviction". http://morningstaradviser.com/articles/comments.asp?docId=4490. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Fetterman, Mindy (November 14, 2005). "USATODAY.com – Can he turn magazine bust into a boom?". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2005-11-14-mansueto_x.htm. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "A star is reborn after shake-up". USA Today. February 12, 2001. https://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/funds/2001-02-12-mstar.htm. 
  9. ↑ "Company News; Softbank says it will invest $91 million in Morningstar". The New York Times. July 9, 1999. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EEDE153CF93AA35754C0A96F958260. 
  10. ↑ "Morningstar Press Release". http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/asp/subject.aspx?xmlfile=174.xml&filter=PR4113. 
  11. ↑ "Morningstar, Inc. to Acquire Ibbotson Associates - Combines Ibbotson's Expertise in Asset Allocation and Morningstar's Expertise in Security Selection and Investment Research". https://newsroom.morningstar.com/newsroom/news-archive/press-release-details/2005/Morningstar-Inc-to-Acquire-Ibbotson-Associates---Combines-Ibbotsons-Expertise-in-Asset-Allocation-and-Morningstars-Expertise-in-Security-Selection-and-Investment-Research/default.aspx. 
  12. ↑ "Morninstar Acquires S&P Mutual Fund Database". https://www.integrity-research.com/morninstar-acquires-sp-mutual-fund-database/. 
  13. ↑ Solsman, Anusha Shrivastava And Joan E. (March 19, 2010). "Morningstar to Buy Credit Rater Realpoint". https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703580904575131620249936264. 
  14. ↑ "Morningstar UK Ltd. Acquires London-based Old Broad Street Research Ltd. (OBSR), Premier Provider of Fund Research, Ratings, and Investment Consulting Services in the United Kingdom". https://newsroom.morningstar.com/newsroom/news-archive/press-release-details/2010/Morningstar-UK-Ltd-Acquires-London-based-Old-Broad-Street-Research-Ltd-OBSR-Premier-Provider-of-Fund-Research-Ratings-and-Investment-Consulting-Services-in-the-United-Kingdom/default.aspx. 
  15. ↑ Cohen, Margaret Kirch. "Morningstar, Inc. Acquires ByAllAccounts, Inc., Provider of Innovative Data Aggregation Technology for Financial Applications". https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/morningstar-inc-acquires-byallaccounts-inc-provider-of-innovative-data-aggregation-technology-for-financial-applications-253432591.html. 
  16. ↑ Lerman, Rachel. "Morningstar buys Seattle startup PitchBook in $225 million deal". https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/morningstar-buys-seattle-startup-pitchbook-for-180-million/. 
  17. ↑ "Morningstar U.S. | News Archive" (in en). http://corporate.morningstar.com/us/asp/subject.aspx?xmlfile=174.xml&filter=PR5679. 
  18. ↑ Yerak, Becky. "Kapoor to replace billionaire founder Mansueto as Morningstar CEO". http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-morningstar-new-ceo-0908-biz-20160906-story.html. 
  19. ↑ Banerji, Gunjan. "Morningstar Looks to Expand Ratings Business With DBRS Deal". https://www.wsj.com/articles/morningstar-looks-to-expand-ratings-business-with-dbrs-deal-11559151916. 
  20. ↑ "Morningstar to Acquire Sustainalytics and Expand Access to ESG Research, Data, and Analytics for Investors Worldwide". https://newsroom.morningstar.com/newsroom/news-archive/press-release-details/2020/Morningstar-to-Acquire-Sustainalytics-and-Expand-Access-to-ESG-Research-Data-and-Analytics-for-Investors-Worldwide/default.aspx. 
  21. ↑ "Morningstar (MORN.US) to acquire financial planning and risk assessment software company PlanPlus Global". https://www.zhitongcaijing.com/content/detail/278891.html. 
  22. ↑ "Morningstar to Buy Praemium's UK, International Business for GBP35M". marketwatch. https://www.zvstus.com/article/news/1/d0df7ffffe8222e093b918a4760d0000.html. 
  23. ↑ Gottlich, Max. "Morningstar plans to buy Leveraged Commentary & Data for up to $650M". https://seekingalpha.com/news/3820436-morningstar-plans-to-buy-leveraged-commentary-data-for-up-to-650m. 
  24. ↑ Inc, Morningstar. "Morningstar Announces Morningstar Office Cloud, an End-to-End Practice and Portfolio Management Platform for Independent Advisors". https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/morningstar-announces-morningstar-office-cloud-an-end-to-end-practice-and-portfolio-management-platform-for-independent-advisors-300557313.html. 
  25. ↑ "Premium Membership | Morningstar". https://www.morningstar.com/premium. 
  26. ↑ Solsman, Anusha Shrivastava And Joan E. (March 19, 2010). "Morningstar to Buy Credit Rater Realpoint". https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703580904575131620249936264. 
  27. ↑ "Morningstar Acquires MBS Rater Realpoint". May 5, 2010. https://www.financial-planning.com/news/morningstar-acquires-mbs-rater-realpoint. 
  28. ↑ Beals, Rachel Koning. "The ratings 'Big 3' becomes 4? Morningstar approved to rate corporate bonds". https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ratings-big-3-becomes-4-morningstar-approved-to-rate-corporate-bonds-2016-08-29. 
  29. ↑ Banerji, Gunjan. "Morningstar Looks to Expand Ratings Business With DBRS Deal". https://www.wsj.com/articles/morningstar-looks-to-expand-ratings-business-with-dbrs-deal-11559151916. 
  30. ↑ Krouse, Kirsten Grind, Tom McGinty and Sarah. "The Morningstar Mirage". https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-morningstar-mirage-1508946687. 
  31. ↑ Huebscher, Robert (October 29, 2017). "Morningstar Versus The Wall Street Journal: Who Won?". https://www.advisorperspectives.com/articles/2017/10/29/morningstar-versus-the-wall-street-journal-who-won. 
  32. ↑ "A Message From the CEO | Morningstar". http://www.morningstar.com/content/marketing/global/company/message-from-ceo.html. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Corporate Design Foundation – @issue journal". http://www.cdf.org/issue_journal/designing_for_data-2.html. 

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