TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Stock Gets Downgrade from Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded TransUnion to “strong sell” from “hold,” contrasting with the broader analyst consensus of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.69.
• TransUnion reported quarterly EPS of $1.25, beating estimates by $0.04, while revenue reached $1.31 billion, up 12.2% year over year.
• Shares traded up 1.7% at $76.74, with the stock ranging from $60.96 to $89.12 over the past year; insiders have sold 41,377 shares worth approximately $3.2 million in the last 90 days.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on TRU. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on TransUnion from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $99.00 price target on TransUnion in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded TransUnion from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on TransUnion from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of TransUnion from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.69.

TransUnion Trading Up 1.7%

TRU opened at $76.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 1.90. TransUnion has a fifty-two week low of $60.96 and a fifty-two week high of $89.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.58. The company's 50-day moving average is $74.50 and its 200 day moving average is $74.26.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 16.51% and a net margin of 15.83%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that TransUnion will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In other TransUnion news, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 1,070 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.57, for a total value of $90,489.90. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,327 shares in the company, valued at $365,934.39. The trade was a 19.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Mohamed Abdelsadek sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.07, for a total transaction of $98,837.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 53,431 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,224,789.17. This represents a 2.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 41,377 shares of company stock valued at $3,200,570 in the last 90 days. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in TransUnion in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Essential Partners LLC lifted its stake in TransUnion by 63.7% in the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 609 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in TransUnion by 263.0% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 668 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the second quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 42.6% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 887 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter.

About TransUnion

TransUnion NYSE: TRU is a global information and insights company that helps businesses and consumers make more informed decisions. The company collects, analyzes and delivers data related to credit, identity, fraud and consumer behavior, serving customers across financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, telecommunications and other industries.

Its products and services include consumer credit reports and scores, credit-risk assessment, marketing and audience insights, identity verification, fraud detection, investigative tools and decisioning software.

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