TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $68.68, but opened at $76.36. TransUnion shares last traded at $74.90, with a volume of 1,475,059 shares.

The business services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $977.62 million. TransUnion had a positive return on equity of 13.58% and a negative net margin of 7.50%.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -28.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TRU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of TransUnion from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays raised their price objective on TransUnion from $55.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on TransUnion from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on TransUnion from $63.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.60.

Insider Activity at TransUnion

In other news, EVP Richard Dane Mauldin sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.10, for a total value of $117,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,777.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other TransUnion news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.30, for a total transaction of $144,307.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 75,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,105,548.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard Dane Mauldin sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.10, for a total value of $117,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,720,777.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,275 shares of company stock worth $1,204,538 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of TransUnion

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TransUnion during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in TransUnion during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Westpac Banking Corp increased its position in shares of TransUnion by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 908 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of TransUnion by 569.3% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 937 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in TransUnion by 48.6% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter.

TransUnion Trading Up 0.2 %

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $76.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.46 billion, a PE ratio of -49.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.61.

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.