Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation $CTSH

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH) by 7.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,296,503 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 233,432 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions were worth $221,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter valued at $2,860,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 181,701 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $12,187,000 after buying an additional 40,445 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,216,912 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $416,968,000 after acquiring an additional 180,258 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 1,350,178 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $90,556,000 after acquiring an additional 168,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 604,679 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $40,556,000 after acquiring an additional 60,010 shares in the last quarter. 92.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTSH opened at $61.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market cap of $29.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.99. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a 1-year low of $60.03 and a 1-year high of $87.03.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information technology service provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 17.17%. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.21 earnings per share. Cognizant Technology Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.700 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Cognizant Technology Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. Cognizant Technology Solutions’s payout ratio is 29.01%.

Insider Activity

In other Cognizant Technology Solutions news, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $143,527.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 25,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,129,741.46. This trade represents a 6.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Patsalos-Fox sold 2,000 shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.23, for a total value of $168,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 29,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,504,073.67. This trade represents a 6.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 16,809 shares of company stock valued at $1,426,138 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CTSH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho set a $87.00 target price on Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, William Blair raised Cognizant Technology Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $90.17.

About Cognizant Technology Solutions

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.