Janus Henderson Group PLC Cuts Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,144,058 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 10,204 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 1.61% of TransUnion worth $291,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TRU. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in TransUnion by 1,428.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 226,771 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $23,743,000 after purchasing an additional 211,934 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 15,146 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,412,000 after buying an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,597 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,261,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,281 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,602,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TT International Asset Management LTD lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 104.1% during the 4th quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 54,794 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,079,000 after purchasing an additional 27,941 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on TRU shares. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Monday, March 24th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on TransUnion from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on TransUnion in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $84.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on TransUnion from $105.00 to $85.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total transaction of $83,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,447,610.83. This trade represents a 1.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $359,761 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

TransUnion Stock Up 0.8%

TRU stock traded up $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $91.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,209,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,667,726. The company has a market cap of $17.94 billion, a PE ratio of 62.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $66.38 and a 12 month high of $113.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm's 50-day moving average is $81.42 and its 200-day moving average is $90.97.

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

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. TransUnion's payout ratio is presently 24.47%.

TransUnion declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.