Stifel Financial Corp Increases Stock Position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) by 0.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,775,125 shares of the information technology service provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,193 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.36% of Cognizant Technology Solutions worth $137,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 42.1% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 533 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 32.5% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 786 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.8% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 11,169 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $862,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company's stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTSH traded up $0.41 during trading on Friday, hitting $81.14. 2,657,031 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,781,750. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $77.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.02. The company has a market cap of $40.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 12-month low of $63.79 and a 12-month high of $82.41.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The information technology service provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.99 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.08% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.16 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. Cognizant Technology Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTSH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Daiwa America raised Cognizant Technology Solutions to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $79.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other Cognizant Technology Solutions news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 39,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,126,052.42. The trade was a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.