WNS (NYSE:WNS) Hits New 12-Month High After Strong Earnings

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $75.09 and last traded at $74.92, with a volume of 869237 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $74.69.

The business services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.05. WNS had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 23.26%. The company had revenue of $339.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WNS. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of WNS in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "hold" rating and a $76.50 price target on the stock. William Blair lowered shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $76.50 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Barrington Research downgraded shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $68.13.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WNS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WNS. Hhlr Advisors LTD. acquired a new position in shares of WNS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,576,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in WNS by 2.6% in the first quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,408,501 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $86,609,000 after purchasing an additional 35,074 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of WNS by 3.0% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,405,672 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $86,435,000 after acquiring an additional 41,505 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in shares of WNS during the first quarter worth about $51,712,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in WNS in the first quarter worth approximately $37,321,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.36% of the company's stock.

WNS Stock Up 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.25. The stock has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.12, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.93.

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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