Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Position Raised by Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,441 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after buying an additional 166 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graypoint LLC raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 4,336 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,338 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 8,704 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $669,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,617 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.39.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Down 1.5 %

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $78.34 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 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 $90.82. The stock has a market cap of $38.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12.

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, 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 EPS 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 1.58%. 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.