Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV Acquires 164 Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,993 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 477 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on CTSH shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 upped their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $93.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.50.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Trading Up 1.1 %

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock opened at $80.02 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.46 and a 200-day moving average of $79.44. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a one year low of $63.79 and a one year high of $90.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The company has a market cap of $39.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 16.78%. On average, equities analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

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.