CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today announced Morningstar Analyst Rating(TM) changes for several U.S. funds. The Morningstar Analyst Rating for funds represents Morningstar's conviction in the fund's ability to outperform on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. The five-tiered, qualitative Morningstar Analyst Rating scale has three positive levels, indicating Morningstar Medalists--Gold, Silver, and Bronze--in addition to Neutral and Negative ratings.

In November, Morningstar analysts upgraded 11 U.S. fund ratings and downgraded six fund ratings. As of Nov. 30, 2014, 141 U.S. funds had a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, 290 funds had a Silver rating, 351 funds were rated Bronze, 327 funds had a Neutral rating, and 39 funds were rated Negative. Approximately 10 percent of mutual funds available for sale in the United States are currently Morningstar Medalists. Morningstar's manager research team covers about $8 trillion of U.S. investor assets, which is equivalent to approximately 70 percent of total investor assets in the United States.

Morningstar upgraded the following U.S. mutual funds in November:


    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2010, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2015, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2020, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2025, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2030, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2035, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2040, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2045, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2050, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  John Hancock Retirement Living through 2055, upgraded to Bronze from
        Neutral
    --  Principal Diversified Real Asset, upgraded to Bronze from Neutral

Morningstar downgraded the following U.S. mutual funds in November:


    --  Absolute Strategies, downgraded to Neutral from Bronze
    --  Columbia Acorn, downgraded to Neutral from Bronze
    --  Fidelity Small Cap Value, downgraded to Bronze from Silver
    --  PIMCO Fundamental IndexPlus, downgraded to Neutral from Silver
    --  Royce Low Priced Stock, downgraded to Neutral from Silver
    --  Royce Premier, downgraded to Silver from Gold

A summary of last month's Morningstar Analyst Rating changes for U.S. mutual funds is available on Morningstar.com in the latest Fund Spy: Medalist Edition here.

Morningstar launched its Analyst Rating for funds and Global Fund Reports in November 2011. Morningstar Medalists--Gold-, Silver-, and Bronze-rated funds--are funds that analysts determine are likely to outperform their peer groups and/or relevant benchmarks on a risk-adjusted basis over a market cycle of at least five years. The differences between the positive Medalist ratings indicate the level of the analyst's conviction in a fund's future performance. Analysts arrive at a rating through an evaluation of five key pillars: People, Process, Parent, Performance, and Price. The Analyst Rating methodology is available here.

To view a complete list and supporting analysis for Analyst Ratings for U.S. funds, please visit www.morningstar.com. Premium Members have access to a Morningstar Medalists screener, where users can sort funds by Morningstar Rating, Morningstar Analyst Rating, Fund Family, Manager Tenure, Expense Ratio, and other metrics. Morningstar's Global Fund Reports, in-depth research reports that include a wealth of data and analysis, are available in Morningstar Direct(SM), the company's web-based global investment analysis platform for institutional investors, and in Morningstar Office(SM), a global practice and portfolio management solution for advisors.

Morningstar has approximately 100 manager research analysts worldwide who cover approximately 4,300 funds. The company provides data on approximately 175,000 open-end mutual funds, 9,700 closed-end funds, and 11,000 exchange-traded product listings as of Sept. 30, 2014.

About Morningstar, Inc.
 Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar provides data on approximately 479,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 13 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries and had approximately $169 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2014. The company has operations in 27 countries.

Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar analysts' current expectations about future events and therefore involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Morningstar's expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Morningstar does not represent its Analyst Ratings to be guarantees nor should they be viewed as an assessment of a fund's or the fund's underlying securities' creditworthiness. This press release is for informational purposes only; it should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the mutual funds noted within.

©2014 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

MORN-R

Media Contact:
 Nadine Youssef, +1 312-696-6601 or nadine.youssef@morningstar.com

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SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.