Short Interest in WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS) Increases By 87.0%

Key Points

• Short interest in WNS (Holdings) Limited surged by 87.0% in August, reaching a total of 2,020,000 shares.
• Notable institutional investors increased their stakes significantly, with EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosting its holdings by 206.6% in the second quarter.
• Multiple brokerages have downgraded WNS, including Jefferies Financial Group and William Blair, with an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.43.

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,020,000 shares, a growth of 87.0% from the August 15th total of 1,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,800,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 5.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,800,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WNS

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WNS. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in WNS by 67.7% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 483 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in WNS in the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in WNS by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 909 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in WNS by 206.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in WNS in the 1st quarter worth approximately $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WNS. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $76.50 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of WNS in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WNS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. William Blair downgraded shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.43.

WNS Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WNS traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.66. 305,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,963. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.47. WNS has a 12-month low of $42.62 and a 12-month high of $75.84. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $75.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.57.

WNS (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.05. WNS had a return on equity of 22.90% and a net margin of 12.11%.The business had revenue of $339.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $323.13 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that WNS will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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