TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Receives $109.38 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One 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 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $109.38.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on TRU. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of TransUnion from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America started coverage on TransUnion in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $84.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

TransUnion Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of TRU traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $83.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,659,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,666,266. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.38 and a 52 week high of $113.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company has a market capitalization of $16.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $81.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.58.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU - Get Free Report) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This is an increase from TransUnion's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. TransUnion's dividend payout ratio is 24.47%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.31, for a total value of $83,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,447,610.83. The trade was a 1.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. This represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TransUnion

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TRU. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000.

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.