ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Barrington Research

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) was upgraded by equities researchers at Barrington Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

EXLS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of ExlService from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of ExlService from $54.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on ExlService from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $35.00 price target on shares of ExlService in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut ExlService from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $41.50.

ExlService Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of EXLS stock opened at $31.74 on Thursday. ExlService has a 52-week low of $26.94 and a 52-week high of $48.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a current ratio of 2.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.73 and a 200-day moving average of $36.51. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.89.

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $570.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $557.67 million. ExlService had a return on equity of 28.50% and a net margin of 11.66%.The business’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.48 EPS. ExlService has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that ExlService will post 1.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ExlService declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 17th that permits the company to repurchase $125.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 2.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at ExlService

In other news, EVP Ajay Ayyappan sold 2,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.32, for a total transaction of $68,978.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 53,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,630,245.76. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExlService

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of ExlService by 109.7% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,118,625 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $174,794,000 after buying an additional 2,154,652 shares during the period. Amundi acquired a new stake in ExlService in the third quarter worth $67,862,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in ExlService by 534.2% in the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 1,354,599 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $59,318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141,008 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in ExlService by 4,269.6% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 882,480 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $38,644,000 after acquiring an additional 862,284 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its holdings in shares of ExlService by 451.2% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 975,894 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,969,000 after buying an additional 798,831 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.92% of the company’s stock.

ExlService Company Profile

ExlService Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global operations management and analytics company that partners with clients in insurance, healthcare, banking, and financial services to drive digital transformation and operational excellence. The firm delivers analytics-driven solutions and business process outsourcing services, including claims adjudication, finance and accounting, data management, and customer service support. ExlService combines domain expertise with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies to help organizations optimize processes, enhance customer experiences, and manage risk.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in New York City, ExlService has grown through a mix of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, earning recognition for its data analytics capabilities and industry-specific knowledge.