Brokerages Set TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Price Target at $114.08

Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.54.

TRU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

TransUnion Stock Down 2.0 %

TRU traded down $1.44 on Friday, hitting $69.20. The company had a trading volume of 3,242,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,651,375. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $88.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.74. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.07 and a 12-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.

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TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for 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%. Analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. This is a positive change from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total transaction of $83,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,447,610.83. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $372,751 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TransUnion

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in TransUnion by 82.1% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of TransUnion by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000.

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.