Intellus Advisors LLC Takes Position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Intellus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 142,457 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,955,000. Cognizant Technology Solutions accounts for 1.9% of Intellus Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTSH. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Mizuho upgraded Cognizant Technology Solutions to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.71.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ:CTSH opened at $76.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a one year low of $63.79 and a one year high of $90.82. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.43. The stock has a market cap of $37.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. 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 Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. This is a boost from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.49%.

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.