Sentry Investment Management LLC Makes New $153,000 Investment in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,989 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $153,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% during the fourth 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. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of CTSH stock opened at $84.15 on Thursday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.79 and a fifty-two week high of $90.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $81.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.84. 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 cap of $41.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.66, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.07.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 EPS 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 predict that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CTSH. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.67.

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.