Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Lowers Position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,522,293 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 75,981 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.78% of TransUnion worth $141,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth $180,011,000. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in TransUnion by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 15,707 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,456,000 after acquiring an additional 2,746 shares during the last quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp raised its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp now owns 408,900 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $37,909,000 after acquiring an additional 51,500 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of TransUnion by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 167,588 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $15,537,000 after acquiring an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amica Mutual Insurance Co. grew its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 12,901 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,196,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter.

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Insider Activity at TransUnion

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total value of $174,342.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. The trade was a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total transaction of $93,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 59,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,568,076.80. This trade represents a 1.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,021 shares of company stock worth $383,041 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on TRU. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.08.

TransUnion Trading Up 1.0 %

TransUnion stock traded up $0.80 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $83.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,347,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,604,803. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.70. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.07 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $91.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.03. The firm has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. Equities analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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. This is a positive change from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.51%.

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.