Machina Capital S.A.S. Has $477,000 Stock Holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Machina Capital S.A.S. lowered its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 52.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,201 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after selling 6,902 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter worth $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $83.23 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $81.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.27. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 12 month low of $63.79 and a 12 month high of $90.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 2.09.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts predict 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 disclosed 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 yield of 1.49%. 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 (DPR) is 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of 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 increased their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to 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.