Steadfast Capital Management LP Reduces Stock Position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Steadfast Capital Management LP cut its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 910,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 232,400 shares during the period. TransUnion makes up about 1.7% of Steadfast Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Steadfast Capital Management LP’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $84,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in TRU. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $551,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 26,308 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in TransUnion by 36.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $594,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,389,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth approximately $292,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America assumed coverage on TransUnion in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.38.

TransUnion Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:TRU opened at $91.96 on Friday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.06. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.38 and a 52 week high of $113.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.07. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. The company had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. TransUnion’s payout ratio is currently 24.47%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total value of $83,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 77,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,447,610.83. The trade was a 1.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $359,761. Corporate 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.