24,835 Shares in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Acquired by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 24,835 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,962,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CTSH. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on CTSH. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.67.

Insider Activity at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,126,052.42. This trade represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Down 3.1 %

CTSH stock opened at $84.82 on Monday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $63.79 and a twelve month high of $90.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $41.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $81.11 and a 200 day moving average of $78.65.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. On average, research analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 EPS 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

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.