Short Interest in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Rises By 19.5%

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,390,000 shares, an increase of 19.5% from the February 28th total of 4,510,000 shares. Currently, 2.8% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $95,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Institutional Trading of TransUnion

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

TransUnion Stock Down 0.7 %

TRU traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $70.58. 3,500,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,642,033. TransUnion has a 1 year low of $66.07 and a 1 year 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 $13.77 billion, a PE ratio of 48.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $89.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.18.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This is a positive change from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.51%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TRU has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, TransUnion has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.54.

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.