iA Global Asset Management Inc. Invests $257,000 in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. has purchased 3,092 shares of TransUnion, valued at approximately $257,000, reflecting a growing interest from institutional investors in the company.
• Multiple analysts have recently adjusted their price targets for TransUnion, with ratings ranging from "sell" to "buy," resulting in an average target price of $112.46.
• TransUnion reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $1.08, surpassing estimates of $0.99 and indicating a 9.5% revenue growth year-over-year.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,092 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in TransUnion by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 21,674,473 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,798,765,000 after buying an additional 2,134,342 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of TransUnion during the 4th quarter worth $74,283,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,044,865 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $467,709,000 after buying an additional 503,969 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,146,693 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $261,144,000 after buying an additional 418,693 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,086,050 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $193,398,000 after buying an additional 375,736 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $100.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up previously from $98.00) on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $124.00 to $118.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.46.

TransUnion Price Performance

NYSE TRU traded up $1.32 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.32. 661,904 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,059,687. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a PE ratio of 43.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.65. TransUnion has a fifty-two week low of $66.38 and a fifty-two week high of $113.17. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $90.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.09. TransUnion had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 16.08%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 22nd. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is 23.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.21, for a total value of $91,210.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 73,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,694,175.53. This trade represents a 1.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 972 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.89, for a total value of $90,289.08. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,108 shares in the company, valued at $660,262.12. This trade represents a 12.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,972 shares of company stock valued at $353,549. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

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.