Brokerages Set TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) PT at $111.64

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $111.64.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on TRU. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th.

TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of TRU opened at $82.44 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $93.11 and its 200-day moving average is $97.96. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $66.07 and a 12 month high of $113.17. The firm has a market cap of $16.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Equities analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. This is an increase from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion declared that its board has approved a share 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 repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $95,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,611,923.60. This represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $383,041. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank increased its position in TransUnion by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 286 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in TransUnion by 82.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000.

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.