Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Stock Price

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by research analysts at Barclays from $105.00 to $85.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the business services provider's stock. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.19% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.54.

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TransUnion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRU traded up $5.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,228,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,649,996. The stock has a market cap of $14.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50 day moving average price is $88.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. TransUnion has a 52-week low of $66.07 and a 52-week high of $113.17.

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

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

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In other TransUnion news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 77,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,447,610.83. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRU. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in TransUnion by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 700,518 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,945,000 after purchasing an additional 22,826 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the third quarter valued at approximately $892,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in TransUnion by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,097 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in TransUnion by 22.0% during 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. Finally, TT International Asset Management LTD grew its holdings in TransUnion by 426.4% during the third quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 26,853 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,811,000 after purchasing an additional 21,752 shares during the period.

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.