TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Gap Down to $69.63

Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $69.63, but opened at $67.88. TransUnion shares last traded at $67.99, with a volume of 235,926 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of TransUnion in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of TransUnion from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on TransUnion from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on TransUnion from $69.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.47.

TransUnion Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.91.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $954.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.04 million. TransUnion had a negative net margin of 7.50% and a positive return on equity of 13.58%. TransUnion’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. TransUnion’s payout ratio is currently -28.19%.

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.30, for a total value of $144,307.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 75,099 shares in the company, valued at $6,105,548.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.30, for a total transaction of $144,307.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 75,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,105,548.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.59, for a total transaction of $943,080.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,284,883.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,275 shares of company stock valued at $1,204,538. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TRU. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,095 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,006,000. Heron Bay Capital Management grew its position in TransUnion by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Heron Bay Capital Management now owns 172,458 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,850,000 after buying an additional 46,826 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in TransUnion by 204.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 45,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,101,000 after buying an additional 30,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in TransUnion by 607.6% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 20,917 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,446,000 after acquiring an additional 17,961 shares during the period.

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.