172,599 Shares in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Acquired by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 172,599 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $16,002,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.09% of TransUnion as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in TransUnion by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000.

TransUnion Trading Down 0.3 %

TransUnion stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $82.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,445,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,687,957. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $82.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.23. TransUnion has a twelve month low of $66.38 and a twelve month high of $113.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.04 billion, a PE ratio of 56.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS 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 business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. Analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.115 dividend. This is a boost from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.51%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on TRU shares. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. 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 report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, TransUnion currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In other news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $95,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. The trade was a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is 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.