ExlService Holdings, Inc. $EXLS Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in ExlService by 97.2% in Q4 to 190,681 shares (about 0.12%), worth roughly $8.09 million.
• ExlService's board approved a $125 million share repurchase program, authorizing buybacks of up to 2.7% of outstanding shares.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $43.60, despite several recent price-target reductions and rating actions.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS - Free Report) by 97.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 190,681 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 94,011 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.12% of ExlService worth $8,093,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of ExlService by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,412,882 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $238,331,000 after buying an additional 68,398 shares in the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of ExlService by 0.7% in the third quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 2,789,992 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $122,843,000 after buying an additional 18,747 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in ExlService by 1.6% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,371,967 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $104,438,000 after acquiring an additional 37,881 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in ExlService by 540.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,963,973 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $86,474,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,317 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in ExlService by 71.7% in the third quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,689,373 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $74,383,000 after acquiring an additional 705,509 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $40.00 target price (down from $55.00) on shares of ExlService in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ExlService from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of ExlService from $54.00 to $46.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ExlService from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of ExlService from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ExlService news, EVP Ajay Ayyappan sold 1,197 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $35,658.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 53,901 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,605,710.79. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,586 shares of company stock worth $449,725. 4.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

ExlService Price Performance

EXLS stock opened at $30.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.56 and a quick ratio of 2.56. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $30.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.74. ExlService Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.94 and a 12 month high of $48.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89.

ExlService announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $125.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 2.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About ExlService

ExlService Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: EXLS is a global operations management and analytics company that partners with clients in insurance, healthcare, banking, and financial services to drive digital transformation and operational excellence. The firm delivers analytics-driven solutions and business process outsourcing services, including claims adjudication, finance and accounting, data management, and customer service support. ExlService combines domain expertise with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies to help organizations optimize processes, enhance customer experiences, and manage risk.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in New York City, ExlService has grown through a mix of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, earning recognition for its data analytics capabilities and industry-specific knowledge.

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