TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Position Boosted by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,819 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 19,180,562 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,008,205,000 after acquiring an additional 2,840,800 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of TransUnion by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,540,896 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $475,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,427,199 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in TransUnion by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,426,510 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $463,456,000 after purchasing an additional 635,581 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in TransUnion by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,154,262 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $330,251,000 after buying an additional 75,410 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its stake in TransUnion by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,054,632 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $283,195,000 after buying an additional 188,300 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TRU shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, TransUnion presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.64.

TransUnion Price Performance

NYSE TRU opened at $99.79 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $95.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.85. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $66.07 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.45 billion, a PE ratio of 86.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.14). TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 5.47%. As a group, equities analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. This is an increase from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.51%.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock 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 reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director George M. Awad sold 12,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $1,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,026 shares in the company, valued at $2,702,600. This trade represents a 30.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $5,611,923.60. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,590 shares of company stock worth $1,854,218. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.