First National Advisers LLC Takes Position in ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS)

Key Points

• First National Advisers LLC acquired a new position in ExlService Holdings, purchasing 14,049 shares valued at approximately $663,000.
• Analysts have shown optimism for ExlService, with JPMorgan Chase increasing the price target from $52 to $53 and several analysts issuing a "buy" rating on the stock.
• In insider trading news, Director Jaynie M. Studenmund sold 14,580 shares, while insider Vikas Bhalla sold 25,000 shares, indicating adjustments in insider ownership.

First National Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 14,049 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $663,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of ExlService during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of ExlService during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ExlService during the 4th quarter worth $85,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new stake in shares of ExlService during the 4th quarter worth $99,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of ExlService by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,282 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. 92.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ExlService news, Director Jaynie M. Studenmund sold 14,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.53, for a total transaction of $692,987.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Vikas Bhalla sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.11, for a total transaction of $1,152,750.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 135,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,226,971.06. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

ExlService Trading Up 1.0%

EXLS stock traded up $0.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $43.21. The company had a trading volume of 1,465,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,640,917. ExlService Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.87 and a 52 week high of $52.43. The company has a market cap of $7.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.02, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average of $44.94 and a 200 day moving average of $46.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 3.41 and a quick ratio of 3.41.

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. ExlService had a net margin of 12.00% and a return on equity of 26.12%. The company had revenue of $514.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.87 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. ExlService's revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ExlService Holdings, Inc. will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of ExlService from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ExlService from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of ExlService in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.50.

ExlService Profile

ExlService Holdings, Inc operates as a data analytics, and digital operations and solutions company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Insurance, Healthcare, Analytics, and Emerging Business segments. It also provides digital operations and solutions and analytics-driven services, such as claims processing, premium and benefit administration, agency management, account reconciliation, policy research, underwriting support, new business acquisition, policy servicing, premium audit, surveys, billing and collection, commercial and residential survey, and customer service using digital technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced automation; digital customer acquisition services using a software-as-a-service delivery model through LifePRO and LISS platforms; subrogation services; and Subrosource software platform, an end-to-end subrogation platform.