Van ECK Associates Corp Lowers Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its holdings in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,783,301 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 151,985 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 2.46% of TransUnion worth $519,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TRU. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in TransUnion by 237.5% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 486 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of TransUnion by 963.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 574 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of TransUnion by 22.3% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 910 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in TransUnion by 156.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 857 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 2nd quarter worth $75,000.

TransUnion Stock Down 1.4 %

TRU stock opened at $99.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.73. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $44.72 and a 12 month high of $113.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.47 billion, a PE ratio of 86.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.62.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 5.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. TransUnion’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd were paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 23rd. TransUnion’s payout ratio is 36.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TRU. Wolfe Research raised shares of TransUnion from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on TransUnion in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on TransUnion from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on TransUnion from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In other news, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $261,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,888,432.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.65, for a total transaction of $95,650.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 64,488 shares in the company, valued at $6,168,277.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Timothy J. Martin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $261,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,888,432.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,715 shares of company stock worth $1,209,589. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

TransUnion Company 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.