Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 31.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,609 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $1,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Westpac Banking Corp increased its stake in TransUnion by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 454 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in TransUnion by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 206.7% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in TransUnion by 35.0% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on TRU. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on TransUnion from $83.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on TransUnion from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on TransUnion from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of TransUnion from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.73.

TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TRU opened at $76.25 on Friday. TransUnion has a fifty-two week low of $42.09 and a fifty-two week high of $82.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.60.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.12. TransUnion had a negative net margin of 7.02% and a positive return on equity of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $977.62 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -29.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Heather J. Russell sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.10, for a total value of $511,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,393,586.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other TransUnion news, EVP Heather J. Russell sold 7,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.10, for a total transaction of $511,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 32,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,393,586.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.27, for a total transaction of $74,270.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 70,547 shares in the company, valued at $5,239,525.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,896 shares of company stock valued at $1,237,376. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.