25,981 Shares in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Acquired by Magnetar Financial LLC

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 25,981 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,409,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 307.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,540,896 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $475,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,427,199 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in TransUnion by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 19,180,562 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,008,205,000 after purchasing an additional 2,840,800 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of TransUnion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $92,661,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $312,501,000 after buying an additional 789,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in TransUnion by 16.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,426,510 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $463,456,000 after acquiring an additional 635,581 shares during the period.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRU traded down $0.15 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $87.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,386,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,553,889. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. TransUnion has a 1-year low of $66.07 and a 1-year high of $113.17. The stock has a market cap of $17.10 billion, a PE ratio of 60.03, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $92.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.44.

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TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.115 dividend. This is an increase from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $95,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents 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 valued at $383,041 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.