Permanent Capital Management LP Invests $424,000 in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,575 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $424,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 4,590.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth $49,000.

TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of TRU opened at $86.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $94.12 and a 200-day moving average of $98.38. TransUnion has a one year low of $66.07 and a one year high of $113.17. The company has a market cap of $16.85 billion, a PE ratio of 59.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. This is an increase from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. TransUnion’s payout ratio is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on TRU shares. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total transaction of $93,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 59,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,568,076.80. The trade was a 1.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 105,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. The trade was a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $383,041. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.