Ascent Group LLC Trims Position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Ascent Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU – Get Rating) by 26.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,670 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,761 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $929,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRU. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in TransUnion during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. CI Investments Inc. raised its stake in TransUnion by 42.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 742 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the third quarter worth $48,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TransUnion Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:TRU opened at $61.35 on Wednesday. TransUnion has a 1 year low of $50.32 and a 1 year high of $105.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $67.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.52. The company has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 44.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.37.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 14th. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $902.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $904.34 million. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.22% and a net margin of 7.26%. Analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 9th will be given a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 8th. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TRU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of TransUnion from $67.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of TransUnion from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of TransUnion from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on shares of TransUnion from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of TransUnion from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.00.

TransUnion Profile

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TransUnion engages in the provision of information and risk management solutions. It also provides consumer reports, risk scores, analytical services, and decision-making capabilities to businesses. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Markets, International, Consumer Interactive, and Corporate.