Global data and artificial intelligence firm EXL has reported a robust third quarter, with revenues topping $529 million, fueled by what the company describes as accelerating momentum in its data and AI-led services. The strong performance prompted the company to raise its full-year financial guidance, signaling confidence in its strategic direction and the growing enterprise demand for AI-powered solutions. For the quarter ending September 30, EXL's revenue reached $529.6 million, a 12.2% increase from the $472.1 million reported in the same period of the previous year.[1][2][3] This growth translated to a GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.36, up from $0.33 year-over-year, and an adjusted diluted EPS of $0.48, a 10.8% increase from $0.44 in the third quarter of 2024.[2][4][3] The results surpassed analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings per share.[5][6] Despite the strong performance, the company's stock saw a tempered or negative initial reaction in after-hours trading, as investors appeared to balance the earnings beat against a slight revenue miss compared to some consensus estimates.[3][7][6]

The primary engine of EXL's impressive growth is its strategic focus on integrating data and artificial intelligence into client workflows. Revenue from the company's data and AI-led services surged 18% year-over-year, marking the third consecutive quarter of accelerated growth in this segment.[7][6] These advanced services now account for 56% of the company's total revenue, underscoring a significant shift in its business composition toward higher-value technology offerings.[3][7][6] Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rohit Kapoor stated that the company's sustained double-digit growth demonstrates the strength of its competitive position as a global data and AI company.[2][8][9] Kapoor emphasized that EXL's recognized industry expertise and leadership in embedding AI in the workflow is resonating strongly with the market and fueling growth with both new and existing clients.[2][8][9] This strategy appears to be gaining traction across various sectors, with the Healthcare and Life Sciences segment emerging as the fastest-growing at 22%, a performance also fueled by high demand for data and AI solutions.[7][5]

Bolstering its AI-centric strategy, EXL announced several key initiatives and partnerships during the quarter. A significant development was the launch of EXLdata.ai, a new suite of data solutions developed in partnership with Databricks.[1][10] This platform is described as a "first-of-its-kind agentic AI-native" solution designed to address a primary barrier to AI adoption: making enterprise data ready for artificial intelligence.[11][10] EXLdata.ai utilizes AI agents to autonomously manage the entire data lifecycle, including modernization, governance, and management of both structured and unstructured data, aiming to reduce implementation times from months to weeks.[9][11][12] The company also announced a collaboration with Genesys, a cloud leader in AI-powered experience orchestration.[1][4][10] This partnership will integrate EXL's advanced data and AI capabilities with Genesys' Contact Center as a Service platform to create a data-driven customer experience offering for industries including insurance, banking, and healthcare.[1][13][4] The collaboration aims to provide a real-time, 360-degree customer view to better identify user intent and behavioral signals for applications like fraud detection, complaint resolution, and personalized sales opportunities.[2][13][8]

The company's strong third-quarter performance and strategic initiatives have led to an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year and into the next. EXL's management raised its full-year 2025 guidance, projecting revenue to be between $2.07 billion and $2.08 billion, which would represent a 13% year-over-year growth.[1][2][14] The company also increased its projected adjusted diluted EPS range to between $1.88 and $1.92, representing a 14% to 16% increase over the previous year.[1][2][3] This confident forecast is underpinned by the acquisition of 21 new clients in the third quarter and a strong sales pipeline.[1] Chief Financial Officer Maurizio Nicolelli stated the guidance was raised due to the company's strong momentum and continued strategic investments in its data and AI capabilities to drive future growth.[2][4][9] This aligns with broader industry trends projecting that AI integration and data democratization will be pivotal for businesses in the coming year, moving analytics from a historical reporting tool to a core component of strategy and real-time decision-making.[15][16][17]

In conclusion, EXL's third-quarter results paint a clear picture of a company successfully capitalizing on the transformational potential of artificial intelligence. The significant growth in its data and AI-led revenue, now constituting the majority of its business, is a testament to the effectiveness of its strategy. By launching innovative platforms like EXLdata.ai and forging strategic partnerships with other tech leaders like Genesys and Databricks, EXL is positioning itself not merely as a service provider but as a critical enabler of AI adoption for its enterprise clients. The company's decision to raise its full-year guidance, despite some margin pressure from increased investments in sales and technology, reflects a deep confidence in its ability to maintain this growth trajectory. As businesses across all sectors increasingly prioritize digital transformation and look to harness the power of their data, EXL's focus on embedding intelligence directly into workflows suggests its momentum is well-positioned to continue.