Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Grows Stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,815 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Graypoint LLC lifted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 4,336 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 454 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 8,704 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Up 0.8 %

CTSH stock opened at $79.68 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $78.73 and a 200-day moving average of $76.73.

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.55%.

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 dated 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 $3,126,052.42. This trade represents a 11.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on CTSH. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.19.

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.