Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Acquires 12,118 Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 77.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,772 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,118 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $2,136,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CTSH. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 17,837 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,042 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 16.3% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,391 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after purchasing an additional 3,132 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 21.3% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 26,613 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 4,671 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 23.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 31,833 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $2,165,000 after buying an additional 6,090 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 42.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 533 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total value of $400,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 39,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,126,052.42. This represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $77.81 on Tuesday. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $63.79 and a twelve month high of $82.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $38.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $78.93 and its 200 day moving average is $76.57.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The information technology service provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.99 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.08% and a net margin of 11.60%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Mizuho upped their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cognizant Technology Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.19.

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.