Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 139,068 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after selling 2,489 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $10,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 127.7% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 337 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter worth $30,000. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 188.4% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 447 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 47.4% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 454 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. 92.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CTSH shares. Mizuho upped their target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.19.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

CTSH opened at $78.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $78.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.64. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a 1 year low of $63.79 and a 1 year high of $82.46. The stock has a market cap of $38.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The information technology service provider reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.10. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 17.08%. The business had revenue of $5.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.55%.

Insider Transactions at Cognizant Technology Solutions

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Company 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.