Ascent Group LLC Increases Stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 53.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,585 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,069 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $3,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 22,450.0% in the third quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 451 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of CTSH opened at $62.54 on Monday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.83 and a 1-year high of $87.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $67.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.98.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information technology service provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.03. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The company had revenue of $5.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Cognizant Technology Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTSH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $83.00 price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $86.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.78.

Insider Transactions at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, Director Michael Patsalos-Fox sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total value of $168,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 29,729 shares in the company, valued at $2,504,073.67. This trade represents a 6.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total transaction of $143,527.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,129,741.46. This trade represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,859 shares of company stock worth $319,950 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Profile

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a global professional services company that provides information technology, consulting and business process services to large enterprises. Its core offerings include digital engineering, application development and maintenance, cloud migration and managed services, data analytics and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and industry-specific solutions. Cognizant works with clients to design and implement technology-enabled transformations that address customer experience, operational efficiency and new product and service delivery.

Founded in the 1990s and headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, Cognizant has grown into a multinational organization with delivery centers and operations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.