2,960 Shares in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Acquired by U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,960 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 17,663,814 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,196,547,000 after purchasing an additional 4,365,493 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,056,248 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $544,942,000 after buying an additional 231,782 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,177,547 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $418,467,000 after acquiring an additional 294,415 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 0.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,042,016 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $206,066,000 after acquiring an additional 28,455 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.6% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,680,009 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $113,804,000 after purchasing an additional 58,422 shares in the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTSH opened at $67.72 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $71.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The stock has a market cap of $33.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.28, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.08. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 12 month low of $60.26 and a 12 month high of $80.09.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The information technology service provider reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.72 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.48% and a net margin of 10.84%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathryn Diaz sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.06, for a total value of $69,354.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $640,522.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CTSH. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $77.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $90.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho assumed coverage on Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $82.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $81.00 to $74.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.67.

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.