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

Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $108.19.

TRU has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of TransUnion from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $119.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.66, for a total transaction of $158,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 62,988 shares in the company, valued at $6,655,312.08. This represents a 2.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director George M. Awad sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 27,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,702,600. This trade represents a 30.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,090 shares of company stock valued at $1,916,758 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 12.1% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,308,028 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $136,951,000 after buying an additional 140,952 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in TransUnion by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,540,896 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $475,432,000 after acquiring an additional 3,427,199 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in TransUnion in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $493,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of TransUnion during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $892,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,008,000.

TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of TransUnion stock opened at $95.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.44, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.62. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.07 and a 52 week high of $113.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $95.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.97.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 15.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. TransUnion’s payout ratio is presently 36.52%.

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.