Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment insights, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), a premier provider of historical stock market data and indexes, from the University of Chicago, for $375 million. Upon closing, this strategic move will redefine Morningstar’s position in the market, catapulting it to one of the largest index providers for public US equity index funds.
As part of the transaction, Morningstar will acquire the CRSP Market Indexes, which are the benchmarks for more than $3 trillion in US equities across market capitalizations, investment styles, and sectors, providing meaningful scale for Morningstar’s index capabilities. Vanguard offers several funds tracking CRSP indexes, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX and VTI), and Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund (VIMAX and VO). These funds, known for their broad diversification and low costs, are used by millions of investors.