Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Shares Bought by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 85.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 621 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $48,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CTSH. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.67.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of CTSH opened at $84.84 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 1 year low of $63.79 and a 1 year high of $90.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.07.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last released its earnings results 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%. Analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total transaction of $400,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 39,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,126,052.42. The trade was a 11.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.