Thematics Asset Management Increases Stock Holdings in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)

Thematics Asset Management grew its stake in shares of TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 19.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 213,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,500 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management owned approximately 0.11% of TransUnion worth $22,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in TransUnion by 32.2% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 16,339,762 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,211,757,000 after acquiring an additional 3,977,595 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of TransUnion by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,540,896 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $475,432,000 after purchasing an additional 3,427,199 shares in the last quarter. XN LP grew its stake in shares of TransUnion by 194.7% in the 2nd quarter. XN LP now owns 1,973,684 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $146,368,000 after buying an additional 1,303,996 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in TransUnion during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $92,661,000. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd raised its stake in TransUnion by 37.4% during the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,566,928 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $190,363,000 after buying an additional 698,580 shares during the last quarter.

TransUnion Price Performance

NYSE TRU traded down $2.28 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $100.10. 189,782 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,604,226. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. TransUnion has a 12-month low of $56.85 and a 12-month high of $113.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.77. The company has a market capitalization of $19.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.62.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. TransUnion had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 15.38%. TransUnion’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that TransUnion will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. TransUnion’s dividend payout ratio is 36.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TRU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on TransUnion from $104.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wolfe Research raised TransUnion from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on TransUnion from $80.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of TransUnion from $103.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TransUnion has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransUnion

In other news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,500 shares of TransUnion stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.66, for a total transaction of $158,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 62,988 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,655,312.08. The trade was a 2.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer A. Williams sold 405 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $38,709.90. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,186 shares in the company, valued at $686,837.88. The trade was a 5.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,078 shares of company stock worth $1,096,725 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

TransUnion 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.