Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) by 46.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 110,288 shares of the information technology service provider's stock after selling 94,953 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $8,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 42.1% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 533 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 0.6% in the first quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 29,226 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $2,142,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors increased its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 0.4% in the first quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 48,552 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $3,558,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Personal Financial Services boosted its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 34,893 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $2,373,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CTSH shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other news, CEO Ravi Kumar Singisetti sold 6,728 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.66, for a total transaction of $495,584.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 46,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,419,812.82. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ CTSH traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.00. 2,966,975 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,829,635. The business's 50-day moving average price is $76.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.67. The company has a market capitalization of $38.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $62.14 and a twelve month high of $80.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The information technology service provider reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.80 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 11.39% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Cognizant Technology Solutions's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.85%.

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.