WNS (Holdings) Limited $WNS Shares Bought by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited by 3.0%, acquiring an additional 41,505 shares to total 1,405,672 shares, worth approximately $86 million.
• WNS reported earnings of $1.02 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.05, with quarterly revenue rising by 9.5% year-over-year.
• Several analysts downgraded WNS, with ratings shifting from "buy" to "hold," reflecting a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $67.43.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,405,672 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 41,505 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 3.04% of WNS worth $86,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in WNS by 3.5% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 157,659 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $9,694,000 after purchasing an additional 5,333 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $109,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $357,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of WNS by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 65,188 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,008,000 after buying an additional 7,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of WNS by 54.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 9,070 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 3,204 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of WNS in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $76.50 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. William Blair lowered WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC cut WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, WNS currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $67.43.

WNS Stock Performance

WNS traded up $0.29 on Thursday, hitting $75.80. 523,425 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 598,843. WNS has a 12-month low of $42.62 and a 12-month high of $75.84. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.87 and a 200-day moving average of $65.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.11, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.91.

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

WNS Company Profile

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.