Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 710,371 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,052 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.14% of Cognizant Technology Solutions worth $54,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,985,816 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,928,405,000 after acquiring an additional 867,176 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,280,223 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,022,728,000 after acquiring an additional 173,667 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,348,102 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $257,469,000 after purchasing an additional 103,371 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 2,921,900 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $224,694,000 after purchasing an additional 443,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 34.0% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,784,668 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $214,141,000 after purchasing an additional 705,946 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $79.12 on Friday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.79 and a fifty-two week high of $90.82. The firm has a market cap of $39.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s fifty day moving average is $82.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CTSH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.39.

Cognizant Technology Solutions 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.