Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. Invests $3.56 Million in Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH)

Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. (NASDAQ:CTSH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 46,230 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,555,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Price Performance

Shares of CTSH opened at $77.94 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market cap of $38.55 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $79.47. Cognizant Technology Solutions Co. has a fifty-two week low of $63.79 and a fifty-two week high of $90.82.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The information technology service provider reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 16.78% and a net margin of 11.35%. Analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. This is an increase from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on CTSH. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. 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 research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $93.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.71.

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.