Vest Financial LLC Reduces Stock Position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in Cognizant by 18.0%, selling 107,013 shares and leaving 487,115 shares worth about $40.43 million (≈0.10% of the company).
• Several analysts have trimmed price targets (Citigroup, TD Cowen, Guggenheim among them), leaving a consensus rating of “Hold” with a consensus target of $83.72.
• Cognizant raised its quarterly dividend to $0.33 (annualized $1.32) for a ~2.4% yield, while the stock trades near $54.63—well below its 12‑month high and the analyst consensus target.

Vest Financial LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 487,115 shares of the information technology service provider's stock after selling 107,013 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.10% of Cognizant Technology Solutions worth $40,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CFC Planning Co LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $259,000. United Community Bank boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 168.3% during the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 1,814 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Certuity LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $327,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 19,704 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $1,635,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In related news, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total transaction of $143,527.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,129,741.46. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CTSH shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $86.00 to $68.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $71.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $100.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.72.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Down 0.9%

CTSH opened at $54.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a 12 month low of $54.26 and a 12 month high of $87.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.91.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information technology service provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.03. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 10.56%.The company had revenue of $5.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognizant Technology Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.700 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Cognizant Technology Solutions's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.01%.

About Cognizant Technology Solutions

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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