TransUnion operates in the consumer credit reporting industry, providing data and analytics on individuals and businesses.
It is a major global information and insights company differentiated by its extensive data assets and sophisticated analytics for risk management.
Updated: February 19, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on a comprehensive analysis, TRU presents a conflicting picture with significant concerns outweighing its strengths.
Technically, the stock is in a pronounced downtrend with persistent negative momentum and high volatility, indicating substantial weakness. Fundamentally, TRU shows stable revenue and strong, improving gross margins, but its operational efficiency metrics like ROE and ROA are weak. The most critical concern is valuation; the stock appears significantly overvalued with a high P/E and an extremely elevated PEG ratio, suggesting future growth is already richly priced. Combined with high volatility risk, these factors present a challenging outlook.
Recommendation: HOLD / NOT A BUY
While TRU possesses decent operational profitability, its extreme premium valuation and strong negative technical momentum create substantial downside risk. The current price does not appear to offer a sufficient margin of safety for new investment. Investors should wait for either a meaningful correction to improve valuation or clearer signs of a technical reversal before considering a position.
*Note: This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on the provided analysis, the 12-month outlook for TRU is cautious. The primary catalysts for a potential rebound would be a significant correction in its valuation or a convincing reversal of its negative technical momentum. However, the key risks are substantial, including its extreme overvaluation according to the PEG ratio and the persistent downtrend indicating weak investor sentiment. Without a clear analyst target, the path of least resistance appears lower, and investors should prioritize risk management, waiting for a more attractive entry point before considering a position.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about TransUnion's 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $76.12, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, TRU has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
TRU has demonstrated significant weakness with substantial declines across multiple timeframes amid elevated volatility. The stock remains in a pronounced downtrend, having lost considerable value from its recent highs while exhibiting higher risk characteristics than the broader market.
The short-term performance shows consistent negative momentum, with TRU declining approximately 7.5% over both one and three months while significantly underperforming the market by nearly 9 percentage points. This persistent underperformance, combined with the stock's high beta of 1.70, indicates it has been both falling rapidly and experiencing amplified volatility relative to market movements.
Currently trading at $76.12, TRU sits in the lower portion of its 52-week range, approximately 43% above its low but nearly 24% below its high. The substantial maximum drawdown of -31.89% over the past year suggests the stock is in oversold territory, though the persistent negative momentum warrants caution despite the depressed positioning.
| Period | TRU Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | -7.5% | +1.0% |
| 3m | -7.0% | +1.9% |
| 6m | -13.4% | +6.5% |
| 1y | -19.4% | +12.1% |
| ytd | -8.7% | +0.2% |
Revenue & Profitability TRU demonstrated stable quarterly revenue of $1.17 billion in Q4 2025, showing slight improvement from Q3. The company maintains strong profitability with a gross margin of 59.3% in Q4, significantly improved from 46.5% in Q3, while net margin remained healthy at 8.6%. Operating income margin held steady at approximately 17%, indicating consistent operational profitability.
Financial Health The company maintains moderate leverage with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15 and total debt-to-capitalization of 53.5%. Current ratio of 1.75 indicates good short-term liquidity, though the interest coverage ratio of 3.3 suggests adequate but not robust debt servicing capacity. Cash flow metrics show reasonable coverage with operating cash flow to sales at 27.3%.
Operational Efficiency TRU's operational efficiency shows room for improvement with ROE at 2.3% and ROA at 0.9%. Asset turnover of 0.11 indicates relatively low revenue generation from the asset base, though fixed asset turnover of 4.5 demonstrates better utilization of property and equipment. The cash conversion cycle of 3.4 days reflects efficient working capital management.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardBased on the available metrics, TRU appears significantly overvalued. The TTM P/E of 33.4 and a higher forward P/E of 41.2 suggest that earnings growth is not keeping pace with the current stock price. This is starkly confirmed by an extremely high PEG ratio of 10.31, indicating the market is valuing future growth at a substantial premium. The elevated EV/EBITDA of 59.3 further signals that the company's core operating profitability is being priced very richly.
A peer comparison cannot be completed as industry average data is not available. Therefore, this valuation assessment is made in isolation without the crucial context of sector norms. To determine if TRU's premium is justified, a comparison against the average P/E, P/B, and EV/EBITDA multiples of its direct competitors would be necessary.
Volatility Risk: TRU exhibits substantial volatility risk with a beta of 1.703, indicating it is approximately 70% more volatile than the broader market. This elevated sensitivity is further underscored by a significant one-year maximum drawdown of -31.89%, highlighting its potential for considerable price declines during market downturns.
Other Risks: The notable absence of reported short interest, while seemingly positive, could mask underlying market sentiment concerns or a lack of institutional attention. Liquidity should be verified, as a lack of a substantial short position may coincide with lower trading volumes, potentially amplifying price impacts from large trades.
Bearish. TRU appears significantly overvalued with exceptionally high P/E and PEG ratios, and the stock is in a pronounced technical downtrend with elevated volatility. While the company maintains strong profitability, its weak price momentum and rich valuation outweigh near-term positive catalysts. This stock may only suit highly risk-tolerant, speculative investors seeking a potential turnaround, but is not recommended for conservative or value-focused buyers.
Based on the provided data, TRU stock appears significantly overvalued. Key valuation metrics like its trailing P/E of 33.4 and a forward P/E exceeding 41 are very high, and the extreme PEG ratio of 10.3 indicates the stock price incorporates massive growth expectations that are not justified by its fundamentals. While the company shows strong profitability and healthy margins, its low ROE of 2.3% and ROA of 0.9% suggest it is not efficiently generating returns from its assets to warrant such a premium valuation. Without industry averages for context, the overall picture is one of an expensive stock.
Based on the provided information, here are the key risks of holding TRU stock, ordered by importance:
1. High Market Volatility Risk: The stock's high beta of 1.70 indicates it is significantly more volatile than the broader market, experiencing amplified price swings and a severe 31.89% maximum drawdown, which poses a substantial risk of capital loss during market downturns. 2. Weak Technical and Momentum Risk: TRU is in a pronounced downtrend with persistent negative momentum, significantly underperforming the market across multiple timeframes, signaling a lack of buyer conviction and potential for further price declines. 3. Operational Efficiency Risk: While profitable, the company exhibits low returns on equity (2.3%) and assets (0.9%), coupled with a very low asset turnover ratio (0.11), indicating potential inefficiency in generating profits from its capital base.
Based on the provided analysis for TRU, the forecast for 2026 is cautious. My target price range is a base case of $65-$70 and a bull case of $85, with key growth drivers being a potential valuation correction to more sustainable levels and improved operational efficiency to boost ROE/ROA. The main assumptions are that the company maintains its strong profitability margins but that investor sentiment remains subdued due to perceived overvaluation and weak technical momentum. This forecast carries high uncertainty, as the lack of a clear analyst consensus and the stock's negative momentum suggest the path of least resistance could be lower without a significant positive catalyst.