TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $109.38.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total transaction of $83,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 77,393 shares in the company, valued at $6,447,610.83. This represents a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $372,751 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of TransUnion

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 105.3% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 423 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in TransUnion by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in TransUnion by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

TransUnion stock opened at $81.70 on Tuesday. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.38 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $82.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.07. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The company had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. This is a boost from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.47%.

About TransUnion

TransUnion operates as a global consumer credit reporting agency that provides risk and information solutions. The company operates through U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive segments. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytic services to businesses, which uses its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk.