TransUnion $TRU Stake Boosted by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) by 124.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 54,249 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,119 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in TransUnion were worth $4,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in TransUnion by 1,318.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 312 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in TransUnion in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in TransUnion by 132.7% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 349 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in TransUnion by 301.0% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 413 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, S Bank Fund Management Ltd purchased a new position in TransUnion in the 1st quarter worth about $44,000.

TransUnion Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of TransUnion stock opened at $83.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.02. TransUnion has a 52-week low of $66.38 and a 52-week high of $109.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.27.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. TransUnion had a return on equity of 16.08% and a net margin of 8.99%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that TransUnion will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TransUnion Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.115 per share. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 22nd. TransUnion’s payout ratio is currently 23.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Steven M. Chaouki sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.19, for a total value of $83,190.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,373,408.48. This trade represents a 1.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Heather J. Russell sold 5,337 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.01, for a total value of $480,383.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,011 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,220.11. The trade was a 18.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,309 shares of company stock worth $919,839 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TRU. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 price target (up previously from $98.00) on shares of TransUnion in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered TransUnion from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $96.00 to $83.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on TransUnion from $124.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded TransUnion to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.00.

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.