Platinum Investment Management Ltd. Has $159.67 Million Stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Platinum Investment Management Ltd. lessened its position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,722,276 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 167,203 shares during the period. TransUnion comprises about 9.4% of Platinum Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Platinum Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $159,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TRU. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of TransUnion in the 3rd quarter valued at about $269,000. Huntington National Bank lifted 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 buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 2,954 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,415 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of TransUnion by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $718,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TRU has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of TransUnion from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of TransUnion from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.64.

TransUnion Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TRU opened at $83.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $92.64 and a 200-day moving average of $97.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.23 billion, a PE ratio of 56.98, 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. TransUnion has a 12 month low of $66.07 and a 12 month high of $113.17.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. On average, equities research analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. This is a positive change from TransUnion’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. TransUnion’s payout ratio is 31.51%.

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

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.95, for a total transaction of $95,950.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,611,923.60. The trade was a 1.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,021 shares of company stock valued at $383,041. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.