ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) Stock Price Up 3.5% Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS)’s stock price was up 3.5% on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $45.36 and last traded at $46.56. Approximately 306,066 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 1,001,645 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.98.

The business services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $501.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $489.66 million. ExlService had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The business’s revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.38 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXLS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered ExlService from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on ExlService from $47.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on ExlService from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of ExlService from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $48.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Anita Mahon sold 10,558 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.92, for a total transaction of $484,823.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 94,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,336,822.56. This trade represents a 10.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Ajay Ayyappan sold 16,186 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.50, for a total value of $833,579.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 40,986 shares in the company, valued at $2,110,779. The trade was a 28.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,598 shares of company stock worth $1,661,461 in the last 90 days. 4.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExlService

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of ExlService in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of ExlService in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of ExlService in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of ExlService in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of ExlService in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. 92.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ExlService Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 3.02. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.93.

ExlService Company Profile

ExlService Holdings, Inc operates as a data analytics, and digital operations and solutions company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Insurance, Healthcare, Analytics, and Emerging Business segments. It also provides digital operations and solutions and analytics-driven services, such as claims processing, premium and benefit administration, agency management, account reconciliation, policy research, underwriting support, new business acquisition, policy servicing, premium audit, surveys, billing and collection, commercial and residential survey, and customer service using digital technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced automation; digital customer acquisition services using a software-as-a-service delivery model through LifePRO and LISS platforms; subrogation services; and Subrosource software platform, an end-to-end subrogation platform.