Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) Shares Bought by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH - Free Report) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 362,929 shares of the information technology service provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,495 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.07% of Cognizant Technology Solutions worth $27,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,295,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 6,185 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. AlphaQ Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQ Advisors LLC now owns 6,323 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,743 shares of the information technology service provider's stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on CTSH. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.65.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of CTSH traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $68.42. 2,953,751 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,388,863. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 1-year low of $58.09 and a 1-year high of $80.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a current ratio of 2.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.47 and a 200-day moving average of $72.58. The stock has a market cap of $34.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.06.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The information technology service provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 10.98% and a return on equity of 17.83%. Cognizant Technology Solutions's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. Analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Cognizant Technology Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.57%.

Insider Transactions at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other news, EVP Kathryn Diaz sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.06, for a total transaction of $69,354.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $640,522.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.