TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP cut its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,652,802 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 152,532 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.85% of TransUnion worth $153,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TRU. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of TransUnion by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000.

TransUnion Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:TRU traded down $1.30 during trading on Monday, hitting $71.59. The company had a trading volume of 430,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,666,496. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.70. TransUnion has a one year low of $66.38 and a one year high of $113.17. The stock has a market cap of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.86.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This is a boost from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.23.

Insider Activity

In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total value of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $372,751. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.