Magnetar Financial LLC Buys New Shares in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial bought a new stake of 42,640 Cognizant shares in Q3, valued at about $2.86 million, while institutional investors now own roughly 92.44% of the stock.
• Insider selling was notable last quarter—insiders sold 16,809 shares worth about $1.43 million (including Director Michael Patsalos-Fox's 4,000-share sale), leaving insiders with only 0.32% ownership.
• Earnings & dividend: Cognizant reported $1.35 EPS (vs. $1.32 expected) on $5.33B revenue, set FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.56–$5.70, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.33 (annual yield ~2.1%).

Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 42,640 shares of the information technology service provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,860,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CTSH. High Note Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 22,450.0% during the 3rd quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 451 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 118.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 569 shares of the information technology service provider's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 267.7% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 603 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, Director Michael Patsalos-Fox sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.30, for a total value of $341,200.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 37,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,218,283.70. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $143,527.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,129,741.46. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,809 shares of company stock worth $1,426,138. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of CTSH stock opened at $62.43 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.72, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.99. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $60.03 and a fifty-two week high of $87.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a current ratio of 2.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $74.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.02.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information technology service provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $5.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $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. Analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from Cognizant Technology Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Cognizant Technology Solutions's payout ratio is 29.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTSH has been the topic of several research reports. Argus raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho set a $87.00 price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cognizant Technology Solutions has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $90.17.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Profile

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.

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