Northern Trust Corp Grows Position in WNS (Holdings) Limited $WNS

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited by 5.5%, owning approximately 360,652 shares valued at $22.2 million as of the latest reporting period.
• WNS reported a 9.5% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year and earnings per share of $1.02, exceeding estimates of $0.97.
• Recent analyst reports show a trend of downgrades, with multiple firms adjusting their ratings on WNS to a "hold" status.

Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 360,652 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 18,832 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.78% of WNS worth $22,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in WNS by 105.6% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 73,128 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,497,000 after purchasing an additional 37,555 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of WNS in the first quarter worth about $12,726,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in WNS during the 1st quarter worth $37,321,000. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of WNS in the 1st quarter valued at $217,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WNS in the first quarter valued at $269,000. 97.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Barrington Research lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on WNS in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price target on the stock. Baird R W lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, William Blair lowered WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.13.

WNS Stock Performance

NYSE WNS traded up $0.04 on Friday, hitting $75.44. The stock had a trading volume of 269,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,070,308. The company's 50-day moving average is $73.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.70. 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 cap of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.91. WNS has a one year low of $42.62 and a one year high of $75.58.

WNS (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.02 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 return on equity of 22.90% and a net margin of 12.11%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. On average, analysts expect that WNS will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current year.

WNS 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.