Cibc World Markets Corp Cuts Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Cibc World Markets Corp cut its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,523 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,317 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 141.4% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 55,741 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,168,000 after buying an additional 32,646 shares in the last quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC now owns 110,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,242,000 after buying an additional 11,286 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 9,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PGGM Investments purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $338,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

TRU stock opened at $85.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. TransUnion has a 1 year low of $66.07 and a 1 year high of $113.17. The firm has a market cap of $16.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.48.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This is a positive change from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.51%.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. The trade was 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 at the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total value of $93,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,568,076.80. The trade was a 1.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $383,041. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TRU has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $111.64.

TransUnion Profile

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.