TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Short Interest Update

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,390,000 shares, a growth of 19.5% from the February 28th total of 4,510,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

TransUnion Stock Performance

TRU stock traded down $8.53 during trading on Thursday, reaching $77.20. The stock had a trading volume of 2,608,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,615,169. The firm has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 52.79, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $91.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.84. TransUnion has a 52 week low of $66.07 and a 52 week high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a $0.115 dividend. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is a positive change from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is 31.51%.

TransUnion declared 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TRU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, TransUnion currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.08.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total value of $95,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,488 shares in the company, valued at $5,611,923.60. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. The trade was a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,021 shares of company stock valued at $289,441. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TransUnion

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in TransUnion by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 700,518 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $64,945,000 after buying an additional 22,826 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion during the third quarter worth about $892,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in TransUnion by 62.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in TransUnion by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 26,308 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TT International Asset Management LTD boosted its stake in TransUnion by 426.4% in the 3rd quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 26,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,811,000 after purchasing an additional 21,752 shares during the period.

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.