TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Purchased by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 293.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,961 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,429 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in TransUnion were worth $923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position 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 buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

TRU stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $82.05. 254,132 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,662,603. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.38 and a 52 week high of $113.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This is an increase from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.47%.

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total value of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $95,950.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. This represents a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on TRU. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on TransUnion in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, TransUnion has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.38.

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.