Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in TransUnion by 79.4% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 241,684 shares and owning 546,213 shares in total.
• TransUnion's recent quarterly earnings surpassed analyst expectations, reporting an EPS of $1.08 compared to the consensus estimate of $0.99, with revenue increasing by 9.5% year-over-year.
• The company has recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.115, representing an annualized payout of $0.46 and a dividend yield of 0.5%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 79.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 546,213 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 241,684 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.28% of TransUnion worth $45,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,311 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $956,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its stake in TransUnion by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 11,380 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $944,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 6,232 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of TransUnion by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,390 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV increased its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 23,697 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,220,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period.

TransUnion Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of TRU stock traded down $1.04 on Friday, hitting $89.02. The stock had a trading volume of 1,268,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,126,461. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.38 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The stock has a market cap of $17.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.75 and a 200 day moving average of $87.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 16.08%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is Friday, August 22nd. TransUnion's payout ratio is presently 23.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TransUnion news, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 972 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.89, for a total value of $90,289.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,108 shares in the company, valued at $660,262.12. This trade represents a 12.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.21, for a total transaction of $91,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 73,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,694,175.53. This trade represents a 1.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,972 shares of company stock worth $353,549 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on TRU shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of TransUnion from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on TransUnion from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.46.

TransUnion 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.