Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH Holdings Raised by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,440,056 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 143,553 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $285,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 165.1% during the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 342 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Towne Trust Company N.A raised its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 85.0% during the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 370 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cognizant Technology Solutions during the third quarter valued at $25,000. 92.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of CTSH stock opened at $52.94 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.48 and a fifty-two week high of $87.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $55.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.19. The firm has a market cap of $25.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.81.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information technology service provider reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.07. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.50% and a net margin of 10.41%.The company had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognizant Technology Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.630-5.770 EPS. Analysts predict that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, May 18th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information technology service provider to repurchase up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on CTSH shares. Wedbush raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $56.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $92.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $98.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cognizant Technology Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.50.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Profile

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a global professional services company that provides information technology, consulting and business process services to large enterprises. Its core offerings include digital engineering, application development and maintenance, cloud migration and managed services, data analytics and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and industry-specific solutions. Cognizant works with clients to design and implement technology-enabled transformations that address customer experience, operational efficiency and new product and service delivery.

Founded in the 1990s and headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, Cognizant has grown into a multinational organization with delivery centers and operations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.