TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $104.53.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on TransUnion from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of TransUnion from $103.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on TransUnion in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TRU opened at $106.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $103.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.62. TransUnion has a 1-year low of $51.50 and a 1-year high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 5.47%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.52%.

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In other TransUnion news, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total transaction of $261,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,888,432.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.65, for a total value of $95,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 64,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,168,277.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total transaction of $261,475.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 46,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,888,432.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,815 shares of company stock valued at $961,407 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TransUnion

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in TRU. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 84.5% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 286 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of TransUnion by 237.5% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 486 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in TransUnion by 963.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 574 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 15.0% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 788 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in TransUnion by 156.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 857 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter.

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.