Aberdeen Group plc Sells 29,728 Shares of WNS (Holdings) Limited $WNS

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has reduced its stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited by 12.7%, selling 29,728 shares in the first quarter and now owning 0.44% of the company.
• Investment analysts have downgraded WNS from "strong-buy" to "hold" ratings, with an average price target of $68.13 as per the latest consensus.
• WNS reported $1.02 earnings per share for its last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.05 and showing a revenue increase of 9.5% year-over-year.

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Free Report) by 12.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 205,190 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 29,728 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.44% of WNS worth $12,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in WNS in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $96,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $109,000. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new stake in WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $217,000. 97.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WNS Stock Performance

NYSE:WNS traded down $0.0840 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.4260. The company's stock had a trading volume of 507,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 814,361. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.90. WNS has a 12 month low of $42.62 and a 12 month high of $75.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.60 and a 200-day moving average of $63.76.

WNS (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $339.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.13 million. WNS had a return on equity of 22.90% and a net margin of 12.11%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. Research analysts expect that WNS will post 3.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on WNS. Baird R W lowered WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $76.50 price target (down from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded WNS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on WNS in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $68.13.

About WNS

WNS (Holdings) Limited, a business process management (BPM) company, provides data, voice, analytical, and business transformation services worldwide. The company operates through TSLU, MRHP, HCLS, and BFSI segments. It engages in diversified business, including manufacturing, retail, consumer packaged goods, media and entertainment, and telecommunication; travel and leisure, utilities, shipping, and logistics; healthcare and life sciences; banking, financial services, and insurance; and Hi-tech and professional services, as well as procurement.