Edmp Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Edmp Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,290 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after selling 913 shares during the period. Cognizant Technology Solutions comprises 1.6% of Edmp Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Edmp Inc.’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $1,637,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the third quarter valued at about $1,972,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 1,187,850 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $91,678,000 after acquiring an additional 40,226 shares during the period. CGN Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,294,000. Matthews International Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Matthews International Capital Management LLC now owns 50,108 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $3,853,000 after acquiring an additional 17,134 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 101,420 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $7,828,000 after purchasing an additional 11,349 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total transaction of $400,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 39,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,126,052.42. This represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on CTSH. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.67.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ CTSH opened at $86.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 12-month low of $63.79 and a 12-month high of $87.61. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.65.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. As a group, analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.61%.

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.