Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,085,998 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 639,801 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 1.88% of Cognizant Technology Solutions worth $609,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the second quarter worth $487,526,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 59.4% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,778,252 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $253,407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,407,776 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,176,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,854,530 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $4,670,449,000 after acquiring an additional 746,732 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,705,729 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $133,098,000 after purchasing an additional 600,208 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 0.7%

CTSH stock opened at $66.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.16. The company has a market capitalization of $31.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.99. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a 52 week low of $60.03 and a 52 week 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.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The information technology service provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 29.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTSH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $82.00 price target (up from $78.00) on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Monday, December 8th. Argus raised Cognizant Technology Solutions to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $83.00 price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $90.17.

Insider Activity at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other news, Director Michael Patsalos-Fox sold 7,000 shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.52, for a total value of $584,640.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 47,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,986,326.08. The trade was a 12.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total transaction of $143,527.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,641 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,741.46. The trade was a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 23,809 shares of company stock valued at $2,010,778 over the last 90 days. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Cognizant Technology Solutions

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.