Cinctive Capital Management LP Takes $3.03 Million Position in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 32,712 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,033,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of TransUnion by 58.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 454 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in TransUnion during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in TransUnion in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of TransUnion during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000.

TransUnion Price Performance

TransUnion stock opened at $85.66 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.84. TransUnion has a one year low of $66.07 and a one year high of $113.17. The company has a market capitalization of $16.71 billion, a PE ratio of 58.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.70. 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 issued 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). TransUnion had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 15.85%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that TransUnion will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

TransUnion Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.54%. This is a boost 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 currently 31.51%.

Insider Transactions at TransUnion

In related news, EVP Venkat Achanta sold 1,821 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.74, for a total transaction of $174,342.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 105,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,095,112.82. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,021 shares of company stock valued at $289,441. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on TRU. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of TransUnion from $115.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of TransUnion from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on TransUnion from $135.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of TransUnion in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.08.

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.