Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Holdings Trimmed by Savant Capital LLC

Savant Capital LLC lowered its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,119 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after selling 895 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% during the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CTSH shares. Barclays increased their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.67.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of CTSH stock opened at $90.70 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $63.79 and a twelve month high of $90.82. The company has a market capitalization of $44.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.07.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. As a group, research analysts predict that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. 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 26.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other Cognizant Technology Solutions news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total value of $400,550.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 39,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,126,052.42. This trade represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

About Cognizant Technology Solutions

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.