TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 27.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,525 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 13,073 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $3,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRU. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in TransUnion by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

TransUnion stock opened at $83.17 on Friday. TransUnion has a 1 year low of $66.38 and a 1 year high of $113.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $81.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.56. The company has a market cap of $16.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.97, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. 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 (NYSE:TRU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.07. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. TransUnion’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,393 shares in the company, valued at $6,447,610.83. The trade was a 1.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,021 shares of company stock worth $359,761 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on TRU shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of TransUnion from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of TransUnion in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $84.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.69.

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.