Short Interest in ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS) Rises By 5.2%

ExlService Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXLS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 3,850,000 shares, an increase of 5.2% from the November 15th total of 3,660,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 875,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days.

ExlService Stock Performance

ExlService stock opened at $45.59 on Wednesday. ExlService has a twelve month low of $28.16 and a twelve month high of $47.37. The company has a quick ratio of 3.02, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $43.48 and its 200 day moving average is $37.27.

ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $472.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $460.73 million. ExlService had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 10.61%. The company’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that ExlService will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EXLS shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of ExlService from $38.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of ExlService from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of ExlService from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group raised ExlService from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on ExlService from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.86.

Insider Activity

In other ExlService news, insider Vikas Bhalla sold 22,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.86, for a total transaction of $954,952.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 102,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,304,254.50. This represents a 18.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Rohit Kapoor sold 100,000 shares of ExlService stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.07, for a total value of $4,207,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,190,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,073,396.80. This represents a 7.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 426,458 shares of company stock valued at $18,720,514. 4.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ExlService

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of ExlService in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in ExlService by 164.0% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 924 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in ExlService by 2,827.5% during 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 during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of ExlService by 29.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of ExlService by 32.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. 92.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About ExlService

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.