Algert Global LLC Cuts Position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Algert Global LLC trimmed its position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,817 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,311 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $956,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,597 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 3,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,642 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 733 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In other news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total value of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $82,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 76,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,337,563.28. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $359,761. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on TRU shares. Barclays cut their price objective on TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on TransUnion from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.38.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TRU opened at $86.39 on Monday. TransUnion has a fifty-two week low of $66.38 and a fifty-two week high of $113.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $80.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $16.85 billion, a PE ratio of 59.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. TransUnion’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. TransUnion’s payout ratio is 24.47%.

TransUnion Profile

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.