TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $106.38.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TRU. Barclays raised their price objective on TransUnion from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $122.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on TransUnion from $103.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on TransUnion in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.65, for a total value of $95,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 64,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,168,277.20. This represents a 1.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George M. Awad sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,702,600. This trade represents a 30.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,954,740 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in TransUnion by 84.5% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 286 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in TransUnion by 963.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 574 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in TransUnion by 4,590.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in TransUnion by 22.3% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 910 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in TransUnion by 156.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 857 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the last quarter.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of TRU traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $101.50. 652,470 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,602,257. The stock has a market cap of $19.78 billion, a PE ratio of 88.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $103.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.41. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $57.80 and a 12 month high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.06 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 5.47%. TransUnion's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Equities analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.52%.

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.