Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $83.39.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CTSH. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:CTSH opened at $79.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. Cognizant Technology Solutions has a 1-year low of $63.79 and a 1-year high of $90.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $82.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.39. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.78%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

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

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.