Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Shares Sold by Uncommon Cents Investing LLC

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC decreased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,795 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after selling 375 shares during the quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 60,098,017 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $3,923,199,000 after purchasing an additional 2,163,022 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 22,415,954 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,365,793,000 after purchasing an additional 473,809 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,710,353 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $590,394,000 after buying an additional 93,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $73.29. 11,104,783 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,462,871. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $58.09 and a twelve month high of $80.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The information technology service provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.14. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 10.98% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a boost from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.57%.

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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $640,522.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTSH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Societe Generale restated a “sell” rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Friday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $88.00 to $85.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.38.

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.