ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $47.93 and last traded at $47.31, with a volume of 57695 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $47.06.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EXLS shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on ExlService from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup raised their target price on ExlService from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com raised ExlService from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on ExlService from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ExlService presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.86.

ExlService Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.58 and a 200-day moving average of $39.63. The firm has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.02 and a current ratio of 3.02.

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $472.07 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $460.73 million. ExlService had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 10.61%. ExlService’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ExlService Holdings, Inc. will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at ExlService

In related news, Director Jaynie M. Studenmund sold 3,645 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.05, for a total value of $160,562.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,580 shares in the company, valued at $642,249. The trade was a 20.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Vikas Bhalla sold 22,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.86, for a total value of $954,952.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 102,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,304,254.50. This trade represents a 18.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 426,458 shares of company stock worth $18,720,514 over the last ninety days. 4.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExlService

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in ExlService in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in ExlService by 2,827.5% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,171 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in ExlService in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in ExlService by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,638 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in ExlService by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. 92.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ExlService Company Profile

ExlService Holdings, Inc operates as a data analytics, and digital operations and solutions company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Insurance, Healthcare, Analytics, and Emerging Business segments. It also provides digital operations and solutions and analytics-driven services, such as claims processing, premium and benefit administration, agency management, account reconciliation, policy research, underwriting support, new business acquisition, policy servicing, premium audit, surveys, billing and collection, commercial and residential survey, and customer service using digital technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced automation; digital customer acquisition services using a software-as-a-service delivery model through LifePRO and LISS platforms; subrogation services; and Subrosource software platform, an end-to-end subrogation platform.