C Partners Holding GmbH Sells 233,880 Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

C Partners Holding GmbH lessened its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) by 58.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 164,409 shares of the information technology service provider's stock after selling 233,880 shares during the period. Cognizant Technology Solutions makes up 3.2% of C Partners Holding GmbH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. C Partners Holding GmbH's holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $12,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,634 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $435,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth about $155,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 665,305 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $51,348,000 after acquiring an additional 31,758 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,057 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 42,651 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $3,282,000 after buying an additional 2,061 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CTSH shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $103.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group cut their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $93.00 to $88.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $83.87.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of CTSH traded up $1.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $79.21. The stock had a trading volume of 2,870,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,575,087. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $75.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.57. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 12 month low of $63.79 and a 12 month high of $90.82.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The information technology service provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.03. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology service provider to buy up to 5.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Cognizant Technology Solutions's payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

Cognizant Technology Solutions 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.