Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 395,327 Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 81.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,560 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 395,327 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.'s holdings in TransUnion were worth $8,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRU. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in 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 valued at $1,261,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of TransUnion by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 3,608 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,642 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in TransUnion by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 733 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. 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 target on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their target price on TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.23.

TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRU traded up $0.39 on Tuesday, hitting $75.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,922,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,694,952. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $86.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.75. 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 stock has a market cap of $14.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. TransUnion has a 1-year low of $66.07 and a 1-year high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. Analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.61%. This is an increase from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.51%.

TransUnion announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $95,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. The trade was a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $372,751. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

TransUnion Company 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.