Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Makes New Investment in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 24,835 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,962,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter worth $1,972,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 1,187,850 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $91,678,000 after buying an additional 40,226 shares during the last quarter. CGN Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at $1,294,000. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd lifted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 50.7% during the 4th quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 429,660 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $33,041,000 after buying an additional 144,535 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Matthews International Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Matthews International Capital Management LLC now owns 50,108 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $3,853,000 after buying an additional 17,134 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CTSH opened at $84.82 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.65. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a twelve month low of $63.79 and a twelve month high of $90.82.

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

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is 27.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CTSH shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cognizant Technology Solutions currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $83.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO John Sunshin Kim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.11, for a total transaction of $400,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 39,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,126,052.42. This represents a 11.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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.