Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Increases Stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited $WNS

Key Points

• The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in WNS (Holdings) Limited by 234.5% during the first quarter, now owning approximately $10.8 million worth of shares.
• WNS reported an EPS of $1.02 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.05, with revenue also surpassing estimates at $339.90 million.
• Several analysts have recently downgraded WNS from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating, leading to a current consensus rating of "hold" and a target price of $68.13.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Free Report) by 234.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 175,416 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 122,971 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 0.38% of WNS worth $10,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pembroke Management LTD bought a new position in WNS during the 1st quarter worth about $5,197,000. State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of WNS by 24.5% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,352 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its stake in WNS by 65.7% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 149,824 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $9,213,000 after acquiring an additional 59,391 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of WNS by 11.2% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,737 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $783,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of WNS by 1,160.1% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 322,258 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $19,816,000 after purchasing an additional 296,683 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.36% of the company's stock.

WNS Stock Performance

NYSE:WNS traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.43. 965,421 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 521,142. The company's 50 day moving average price is $73.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. WNS has a 52-week low of $42.62 and a 52-week high of $75.58.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WNS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of WNS in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price objective for the company. William Blair cut shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $76.50 price target (down previously from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of WNS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut shares of WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WNS has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $67.43.

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.