TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 208,334 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 21,010 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.11% of TransUnion worth $19,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in TRU. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,370,742 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $312,501,000 after acquiring an additional 789,497 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 14,317 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in TransUnion by 141.4% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 55,741 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,168,000 after purchasing an additional 32,646 shares in the last quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in TransUnion by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC now owns 110,469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,242,000 after buying an additional 11,286 shares during the period. Finally, Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its position in TransUnion by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 9,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter.

TransUnion Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE TRU opened at $85.41 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 50 day moving average price is $92.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.46. TransUnion has a 52-week low of $66.07 and a 52-week high of $113.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.50, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. On average, analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This is a positive change from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is 31.51%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total value of $93,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 59,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,568,076.80. This trade represents a 1.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $383,041 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.