Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV Buys 164 Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,993 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CTSH. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $80.02 on Tuesday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.79 and a fifty-two week high of $90.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $82.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.44.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.78%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on CTSH. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $93.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.50.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Company Profile

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, a professional services company, provides consulting and technology, and outsourcing services in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Financial Services, Health Sciences, Products and Resources, and Communications, Media and Technology.