U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 2,960 Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,960 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $224,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CTSH. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 184.4% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,034,741 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $78,154,000 after acquiring an additional 670,939 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,523 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Loudon Investment Management LLC grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Loudon Investment Management LLC now owns 6,095 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 23,669 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 3,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 139,892 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $10,566,000 after buying an additional 5,239 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

CTSH stock opened at $67.72 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.57. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a one year low of $60.26 and a one year high of $80.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The information technology service provider reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.01. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.48% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.85%.

Insider Activity at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, EVP Kathryn Diaz sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.06, for a total value of $69,354.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $640,522.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on CTSH. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $90.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $75.67.

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.