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

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $108.19.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on TRU shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on TransUnion in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded TransUnion from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In other TransUnion news, insider Todd C. Skinner sold 3,090 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.48, for a total value of $313,573.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 24,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,469,312.84. This trade represents a 11.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.66, for a total value of $158,490.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 62,988 shares in the company, valued at $6,655,312.08. This trade represents a 2.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,090 shares of company stock worth $1,916,758. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of TransUnion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in TransUnion by 84.5% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 286 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in TransUnion by 4,590.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 963.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 574 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of TRU stock opened at $95.26 on Friday. TransUnion has a fifty-two week low of $66.07 and a fifty-two week high of $113.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.83, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.62. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.55.

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

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. TransUnion’s payout ratio is currently 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.