Eads & Heald Wealth Management Increases Holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,952 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,985,816 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,928,405,000 after purchasing an additional 867,176 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,280,223 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,022,728,000 after buying an additional 173,667 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.7% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,340,480 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $363,153,000 after buying an additional 142,225 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,244,731 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $250,428,000 after acquiring an additional 44,129 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 29.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,748,982 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $211,369,000 after acquiring an additional 628,970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total value of $400,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 39,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,126,052.42. This trade represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

NASDAQ:CTSH opened at $78.45 on Wednesday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a one year low of $63.79 and a one year high of $82.46. The stock has a market cap of $38.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.64.

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s payout ratio is 26.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CTSH. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays upgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $80.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.19.

Cognizant Technology Solutions 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.