Cognizant (CTSH)
Information Technology · IT consulting and services · NASDAQ
A global leader in IT services and consulting helping enterprises drive digital transformation through cloud, AI, and digital engineering.
What Cognizant does
Cognizant provides information technology, consulting, and business process services to help clients modernize their technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences. The company specializes in digital engineering, cloud services, and AI-driven solutions to help businesses stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Themes: digital transformation, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, business process automation
Fundamentals
- Price$61.87 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$29.3B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return-13.0% 2025-08-21 close $71.08 → 2026-08-21 close $61.87
- P/E11.74 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+10.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+33.4% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+14.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.11 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+5.6% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+2.8% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.85 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-29 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +1.6%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How CTSH compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 10% 265 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 405 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating margintop 25% 405 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 403 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 405 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 386 covered Information Technology peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 107 covered Information Technology peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)top 10% 382 covered Information Technology peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Information Technology companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
CTSH is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
53.2 #386 of 987 scored · #37 of 84 in Information Technology
Valuation 79th (price to earnings 13.3, price to book 1.9) and capital return 71st (consecutive years of dividend increases 5 years); weakest is long-term trend (31st, a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day).
Short-term score
60.0 #209 of 1,704 scored · #37 of 261 in Information Technology
Trend 77th: it is trading 26.1% above its 50-day average, the short-term trend line; catalysts 63rd: open-market insider buys in 90 days 80, the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading; weakest is setup 39th: no Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, CTSH's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 27%, free-cash-flow payout 24%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout27% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout24% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Cognizant looks technically
Cognizant (CTSH) is trading 2.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 109 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 34, with buyers in control. Momentum is stretched — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 72, in overbought territory (above 70). It just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2026-04-06, pushing above its recent trading range. It is 28.9% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 2.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -2.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $49.05 | $49.05 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $63.58 | $63.58 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 29 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 29 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part downward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes below 42.12. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave downward correction, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 109 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 109 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 34, with buyers in control | 34.2 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is stretched — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 72, in overbought territory (above 70) | 72.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($52.80 to $63.11) — its "stochastic" reading is 88 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 88.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in positive territory (momentum leaning bullish) | 34 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $87.03 | $87.03 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 28.9% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -28.9% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 66.9% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +66.9% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 28.9% below its highest point of the past year | 28.9% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2026-04-06, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it just made a new 55-day high, its first since 2026-04-06, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $93.47 (set on 2022-03-22) | $93.47 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($38.73 to $86.70), and it has recovered around half of its fall from last year’s high — 48% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $68.38 to $69.91. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 48.2% |
| From the all-time high | it is 33.8% below its all-time high | -33.8% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 5.7% below a resistance level at $65.40 — a price it turned at four times since 2025-04-07, most recently on 2025-10-16. Since 2024-08-21 it has 2 such levels below the current price and 9 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +5.7% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $7.19 (set on 2008-11-21) | $7.19 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 760.5% above its all-time low | +760.5% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 54th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $2.51 between its high and its low — about 4.1% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $2.51 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $49.97 and $63.58 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $49.97 – $56.78 – $63.58 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.1% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.1% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (2.7% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.78× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.2% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 4.0% above the previous close 17 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 50.31 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +4.0% |
| Gap filled | a 2.7% gap down opened on 2026-08-12 has been "filled" 6 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 6 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 39.5 percentage points (the stock gained 41.8% while the market gained 2.3%) | +39.5% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 15.2 percentage points (the stock gained 18.3% while the market gained 3.1%) | +15.2% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 15.9 percentage points (the stock lost 4.9% while the market gained 11.1%) | -15.9% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 33.4 percentage points (the stock lost 13.0% while the market gained 20.5%) | -33.4% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 4 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, a fresh 20-day high, MACD momentum is positive, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 4 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, its RSI momentum gauge is overbought (a stretched reading), lagging the market over 6 months, near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 31% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 4.5% of the share price. | +30.6% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 10% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $56.25 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +10.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 8% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-29 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $57.32 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 18 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +7.9% |
Price levels it has turned at before
CTSH last closed at $61.87 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 2 prices below its last close and 9 above; the 2 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $65.40 | Resistance | 5.7% above the last close | turned there four times · 2025-04-07 to 2025-10-16 |
| $57.52 | Support | 7.0% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-10 to 2026-06-01 |
| $67.37 | Resistance | 8.9% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-04-21 to 2026-03-05 |
| $70.72 | Resistance | 14.3% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-09-17 to 2025-11-18 |
| $45.48 | Support | 26.5% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-05-13 to 2026-07-17 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part downward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $42.12.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 3 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Overbought (14-day RSI above 70) · Pulled back from the 12-month high · Broke out to a new 20-day high · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · lagging the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.17 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 25 analysts
- Mean price target$63.94 range $42.00 – $84.00; median $65.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for CTSH
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.46 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Intense competition in the global IT services market","Dependence on key clients and economic conditions in key markets","Risks associated with international operations and currency fluctuations"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of CTSH's 10-Q filed 2026-04-29 against the prior one filed 2025-10-29.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-04-29) shows Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Q1 2026 with a line item 'Payments for business combinations, net of cash acquired ($730 million)' that does not appear in older filing's comparable period
- Newer filing includes 'Changes in net defined benefit obligations' with $38 million in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for Q1 2026
- Newer filing shows 'Goodwill' increased to $7,681 million at March 31, 2026, compared to $7,106 million at December 31, 2025
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-10-29) shows 'Restructuring charges' of $0 million for Q3 2025; newer filing contains no restructuring charges line item for Q1 2026
- Older filing shows nine-month period comparisons (Nine Months Ended September 30) in Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income; newer filing shows only three-month period (Three Months Ended March 31)
- Reworded:
- Older filing labels comprehensive income component as 'Unrealized gains and losses on defined benefit plans' ($1 million, nine months 2025); newer filing labels this as 'Changes in net defined benefit obligations' ($38 million, Q1 2026)
- Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity structure differs: older filing presents three interim periods within one fiscal year (March 31, June 30, September 30, 2025 and comparative 2024 periods); newer filing presents only December 31, 2025 to March 31, 2026 comparison
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different fiscal periods (Q3 2025 nine-month data vs. Q1 2026 three-month data), limiting direct comparability of certain line items
- Balance sheet dates differ: older filing compares September 30, 2025 to December 31, 2024; newer filing compares March 31, 2026 to December 31, 2025
- The $730 million business combination payment in newer filing likely reflects acquisition activity occurring in Q1 2026 that has no direct precedent in the Q3 2025 filing period presented
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 5 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days0 buys · 2 sells ($811793) — 2 selling insiders
- Last 90 days1 buy ($209768) · 5 sells ($832360) — 1 buying, 3 selling insiders
- Last 180 days1 buy ($209768) · 6 sells ($839758) — 1 buying, 3 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-03. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about CTSH's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Congressional trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 6 matched disclosures for CTSH from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
Congressional trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding CTSH as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 73,018,799
- Reported value $4,479,703,379
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 0 increased, 5 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
CTSH had 44,811,814 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
CTSH had 9.46% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 4.78 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 44,811,814
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 9.46%
- Prior settlement (shares) 57,093,656
- Reported change -21.51%
- Days to cover (reported) 4.78
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Accenture (ACN)
- Infosys (INFY)
- Wipro (WIT)
- TCS (TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES)
- IBM (IBM)
- Capgemini (CAP)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Cognizant (CTSH) do?
Cognizant provides information technology, consulting, and business process services to help clients modernize their technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences. The company specializes in digital engineering, cloud services, and AI-driven solutions to help businesses stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
What sector is Cognizant (CTSH) in?
Cognizant (CTSH) is classified in the Information Technology sector. Its industry is IT consulting and services. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does CTSH pay a dividend?
Yes — Cognizant (CTSH) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 1.63% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Cognizant's (CTSH) competitors?
Notable peers of Cognizant (CTSH) include Accenture, Infosys, Wipro, TCS (TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES) and IBM. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent Congressional stock trading in CTSH?
Yes — we hold 6 matched STOCK Act disclosures for CTSH from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Cognizant (CTSH) overbought or oversold right now?
Cognizant (CTSH) is currently in overbought territory (its 14-day RSI is 72, above 70) (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on CTSH come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.