TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $68.68, but opened at $76.36. TransUnion shares last traded at $74.90, with a volume of 1,475,059 shares traded.

The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.12. TransUnion had a positive return on equity of 13.58% and a negative net margin of 7.50%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $977.62 million.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -28.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on TRU. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on TransUnion from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on TransUnion from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on TransUnion from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of TransUnion from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,775 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.30, for a total value of $144,307.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 75,099 shares in the company, valued at $6,105,548.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.30, for a total value of $144,307.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 75,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,105,548.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.59, for a total transaction of $943,080.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 54,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,284,883.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,275 shares of company stock worth $1,204,538. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in TransUnion by 5.2% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 3,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,164,000. Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its holdings in TransUnion by 17.7% during the 1st quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 8,205 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231 shares in the last quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in TransUnion by 23.5% during the first quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 60,167 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,801,000 after acquiring an additional 11,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hengehold Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion in the first quarter valued at about $216,000.

TransUnion Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61.

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.