Insider Selling: TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Insider Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.91, for a total value of $84,910.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 75,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,401,619.63. This trade represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of TRU opened at $87.21 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a PE ratio of 59.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. TransUnion has a 1-year low of $66.38 and a 1-year high of $113.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.55.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. TransUnion’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TransUnion

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 1,318.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 312 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 105.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 423 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in TransUnion by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, TransUnion has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.69.

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.