TransUnion (TRU) Snaps Up Verisk Financial Services For $515M

TransUnion TRU recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of Verisk Financial Services, the financial services business unit of Verisk Analytics, Inc. VRSK, for $515 million in cash. The deal was initially announced on Feb 22.

So far this year, shares of TransUnion have declined 19% compared with 10.9% loss of the industry it belongs to.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

How Will TransUnion Benefit?

The deal closure adds Verisk Financial’s data sets for credit and debit card accounts and demand deposit account behavior to TransUnion’s portfolio. This should boost TransUnion’s position as a provider of innovative solutions globally.

Together, they should offer insights and solutions that are expected to raise financial inclusion, create new accounts, and improve fraud prevention and risk management.

Considering the increasing demand of digital technology in financial institutions and companies across all industries around the world, the deal is expected to strengthen TransUnion’s competitive position in the industry.

Chris Cartwright, president and CEO of TransUnion, stated, “Providing efficient online solutions for the financial needs of today’s digital-savvy consumer is critical, and the combined capabilities of TransUnion and Verisk Financial will help our customers by allowing them to make better and faster decisions.”

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

TransUnion currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Business Services sector that investors may consider are Cross Country Healthcare CCRN and NV5 Global NVEE, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1.

Cross Country Healthcare has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41.5%, on average.

Cross Country Healthcare’s shares have surged 59.3% in the past year. The company has a long-term earnings growth of 6.5%.

NV5 Global has an expected earnings growth rate of 6.1% for the current year. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.2%, on average.

NV5 Global’s shares have surged 42% in the past year. The company has a long-term earnings growth of 14.2%.

5 Stocks Set to Double

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Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.