ExlService Holdings, Inc. $EXLS Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans sharply reduced its ExlService stake in the fourth quarter, selling 296,778 shares and cutting its holdings by 83.2% to 59,936 shares worth about $2.54 million.
• Insider and institutional activity remains active: EVP Ajay Ayyappan sold 5,093 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 trade, while institutional investors still own 92.92% of ExlService shares.
• Analysts remain generally positive on EXLS, with five Buy ratings and one Hold, though several price targets were trimmed; the consensus target is $41.50 versus the stock’s recent price around $29.51.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its holdings in shares of ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS - Free Report) by 83.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,936 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 296,778 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in ExlService were worth $2,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in ExlService by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,412,882 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $238,331,000 after purchasing an additional 68,398 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in ExlService by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,371,967 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $104,438,000 after purchasing an additional 37,881 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in ExlService by 540.4% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,963,973 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $86,474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657,317 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in ExlService by 71.7% during the 3rd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,689,373 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $74,383,000 after purchasing an additional 705,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in ExlService by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,621,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $71,405,000 after purchasing an additional 411,652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at ExlService

In related news, EVP Ajay Ayyappan sold 5,093 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.11, for a total transaction of $148,257.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,426,215.34. The trade was a 9.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXLS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded ExlService from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on ExlService from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of ExlService in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price objective on ExlService in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $40.00 price objective on ExlService and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.50.

ExlService Price Performance

Shares of EXLS opened at $29.51 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.33 and a 200-day moving average of $35.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. ExlService Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.82 and a 52 week high of $48.54.

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $570.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $557.67 million. ExlService had a return on equity of 28.50% and a net margin of 11.66%.The business's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. ExlService has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that ExlService Holdings, Inc. will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

ExlService declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, March 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $125.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is 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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