Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.19.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CTSH shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, October 31st.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Up 0.5 %

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $77.81. 3,580,359 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,267,100. Cognizant Technology Solutions has a 52 week low of $63.79 and a 52 week high of $82.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.58 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.57.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The information technology service provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.99 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 17.08%. The firm's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. Cognizant Technology Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.55%.

Insider Activity

In other Cognizant Technology Solutions news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions 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 directly owns 39,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,126,052.42. The trade was a 11.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cognizant Technology Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 47.4% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 454 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 533 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.44% 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.