Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $6.92 Million in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 74,585 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,915,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in TransUnion by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000.

TransUnion Stock Up 0.4%

TRU opened at $85.61 on Friday. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $66.38 and a 12 month high of $113.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $81.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. TransUnion’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

TransUnion Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.47%.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $82,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 76,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,337,563.28. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TRU has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on TransUnion from $120.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on TransUnion from $130.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on TransUnion from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Monday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.69.

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.