PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. Makes New Investment in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,110 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,163,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TRU. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in TransUnion by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 45,827 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,658,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in TransUnion by 1.2% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 102,808 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,204,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 14.8% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,196 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 100.0% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 2,800 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in TransUnion by 3.6% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 179,865 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $14,369,000 after purchasing an additional 6,270 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on TransUnion from $97.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group started coverage on TransUnion in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.38.

TransUnion Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:TRU traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.12. 863,617 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,601,321. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $103.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.37, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.62. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $56.85 and a 12-month high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. TransUnion had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 15.38%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. TransUnion's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be issued a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. TransUnion's payout ratio is 36.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.66, for a total value of $158,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 62,988 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,655,312.08. The trade was a 2.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Heather J. Russell sold 3,173 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $303,275.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,904,527.08. This trade represents a 13.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,315 shares of company stock worth $1,119,897. 0.28% of the stock is owned by 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.