MML Investors Services LLC Invests $623,000 in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,946 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $623,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of TransUnion during the second quarter valued at $202,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 12,355 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 825 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 43,409 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,219,000 after buying an additional 1,493 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of TransUnion by 61.1% in the second quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 6,841 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Finally, Zevin Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of TransUnion by 2.6% during the second quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC now owns 98,541 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,308,000 after acquiring an additional 2,496 shares during the last quarter.

TransUnion Stock Performance

NYSE TRU opened at $95.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.86. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $63.03 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The company has a market cap of $18.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.71, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.60.

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

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on TRU shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $119.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of TransUnion from $122.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of TransUnion in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on TransUnion from $103.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.73, for a total value of $151,095.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 60,488 shares in the company, valued at $6,092,956.24. The trade was a 2.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George M. Awad sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,026 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,702,600. The trade was a 30.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,590 shares of company stock worth $2,084,633. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

TransUnion Company 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.