Brokerages Set TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Target Price at $109.69

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $109.69.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on TRU shares. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th.

TransUnion Stock Performance

TRU traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $82.67. The stock had a trading volume of 3,035,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,697,775. TransUnion has a 1 year low of $66.38 and a 1 year high of $113.17. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $81.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.18. The stock has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a PE ratio of 56.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The company's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.47%.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In other news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total value of $83,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 77,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,447,610.83. This represents a 1.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $359,761. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TransUnion

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in TransUnion by 1,318.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 312 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of TransUnion by 105.3% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 423 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in TransUnion by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, S Bank Fund Management Ltd purchased a new stake in TransUnion during the 1st quarter valued at $44,000.

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.