Thematics Asset Management Sells 55,000 Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Thematics Asset Management cut its position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Free Report) by 25.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,000 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 55,000 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management owned about 0.08% of TransUnion worth $14,648,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of TransUnion by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,749,849 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $625,779,000 after buying an additional 2,323,339 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $180,011,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in TransUnion by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 3,370,742 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $312,501,000 after purchasing an additional 789,497 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,044,865 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $467,709,000 after purchasing an additional 503,969 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,086,050 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $193,398,000 after buying an additional 375,736 shares during the period.

TransUnion Trading Down 0.5 %

TransUnion stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $82.07. 1,252,705 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,685,954. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.01 billion, a PE ratio of 56.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.38 and a 52 week high of $113.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.23.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.115 dividend. This is a boost from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total transaction of $83,310.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,393 shares in the company, valued at $6,447,610.83. This represents a 1.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $372,751 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on TRU shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of TransUnion from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Monday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.38.

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.