WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• WNS (Holdings) Limited experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising 219.7% in July to a total of 1,810,000 shares, with 4.9% of the company's stock currently sold short.
• The company reported an EPS of $1.02 for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.05, with quarterly revenue rising 9.5% year-over-year to $339.90 million.
• Numerous analysts have downgraded WNS, with a current average rating of "Hold" and a price target of $68.13, reflecting a cautious outlook on the stock.

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,810,000 shares, anincreaseof219.7% from the June 30th total of 566,100 shares. Currently,4.9% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,760,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently,4.9% of the company's stock are sold short.

WNS Stock Up 0.1%

WNS opened at $74.91 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $65.68 and a 200 day moving average of $61.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. WNS has a 12 month low of $42.62 and a 12 month high of $75.14. The company has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90.

WNS (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) last announced 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. WNS had a net margin of 12.11% and a return on equity of 23.03%. The firm had revenue of $339.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that WNS will post 3.8 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered shares of WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating 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 target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of WNS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, WNS currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $68.13.

Institutional Trading of WNS

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WNS by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 157,659 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $9,694,000 after acquiring an additional 5,333 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in WNS in the 4th quarter worth $355,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in WNS in the 4th quarter worth $2,813,000. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in WNS in the first quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in WNS in the first quarter valued at approximately $357,000. 97.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About WNS

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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