WNS (NYSE:WNS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday . 1,011,084 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 43% from the previous session's volume of 709,286 shares.The stock last traded at $74.80 and had previously closed at $74.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $76.50 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of WNS in a research report on Tuesday. William Blair downgraded shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Baird R W downgraded shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of WNS from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research cut shares of WNS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, WNS presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $64.94.

WNS Stock Up 0.2%

The company's fifty day moving average is $59.30 and its 200-day moving average is $58.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76.

WNS (NYSE:WNS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.04. WNS had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 23.26%. The company had revenue of $336.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that WNS will post 3.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WNS

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hhlr Advisors LTD. bought a new stake in WNS in the fourth quarter worth $72,576,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in WNS in the first quarter worth $51,712,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in WNS in the first quarter worth $37,321,000. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in WNS by 4,316.0% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 568,206 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $34,939,000 after buying an additional 555,339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in WNS by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,483,569 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $70,307,000 after buying an additional 312,519 shares during the last quarter. 97.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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