Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 164 Shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 28.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 733 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $68,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of TRU. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of TransUnion by 84.5% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 286 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in TransUnion by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 428 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in TransUnion in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of TransUnion by 4,590.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TRU opened at $86.37 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $93.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.40. TransUnion has a twelve month low of $66.07 and a twelve month high of $113.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). TransUnion had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 6.80%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. This is an increase from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. TransUnion’s payout ratio is currently 31.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.60, for a total transaction of $93,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 59,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,568,076.80. The trade was a 1.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total value of $174,342.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 105,443 shares in the company, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,021 shares of company stock worth $383,041. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on TRU. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.64.

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.