NS Partners Ltd Increases Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Key Points

• NS Partners Ltd increased its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 1.8%, acquiring an additional 2,991 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 171,784 shares valued at $14.26 million.
• TransUnion's quarterly earnings report showed EPS of $1.08, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.99, with revenue of $1.14 billion, marking a 9.5% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.115 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $0.46 and a yield of 0.5%, with a payout ratio of 23%.

NS Partners Ltd raised its holdings in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 171,784 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares during the quarter. NS Partners Ltd owned 0.09% of TransUnion worth $14,256,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 139,238 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,555,000 after buying an additional 23,915 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in TransUnion by 9.8% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 151,333 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,559,000 after acquiring an additional 13,564 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 8,139 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 1,217 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 70,674 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,865,000 after buying an additional 13,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 635,734 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $52,760,000 after buying an additional 8,608 shares during the last quarter.

TransUnion Stock Performance

TransUnion stock traded up $1.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $87.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 900,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,062,559. The company has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.83, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $90.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.70. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.38 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.03.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 16.08%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.14, for a total value of $87,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 74,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,482,606.02. This trade represents a 1.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 972 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.89, for a total transaction of $90,289.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $660,262.12. The trade was a 12.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,972 shares of company stock valued at $353,549 in the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.