Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Has $1.64 Million Holdings in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,700 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's holdings in TransUnion were worth $1,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 82.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in TransUnion by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of TransUnion during the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of TransUnion during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total transaction of $83,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 77,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,447,610.83. This trade represents a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. The trade was a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

TransUnion Trading Down 0.4 %

TRU stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $82.13. The stock had a trading volume of 2,125,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,668,397. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. TransUnion has a twelve month low of $66.38 and a twelve month high of $113.17. The firm has a market cap of $16.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.25, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.97.

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

TransUnion declared that its board 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 purchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. This is an increase from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is 24.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TRU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on TransUnion from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TransUnion currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.38.

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.