HSBC Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH) Stock Price

Posted by Francis Steltz on May 1st, 2026

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH – Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by HSBC from $98.00 to $80.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. HSBC’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 51.43% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on CTSH. UBS Group lowered their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $67.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wedbush lowered their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $61.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions in a research report on Wednesday. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions from $98.00 to $88.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $107.00 price target on Cognizant Technology Solutions and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.15.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CTSH

Cognizant Technology Solutions Stock Performance

Cognizant Technology Solutions stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $52.83. 727,898 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,420,106. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.27 billion, a PE ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.98. Cognizant Technology Solutions has a fifty-two week low of $52.33 and a fifty-two week high of $87.03. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information technology service provider reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.41 billion. Cognizant Technology Solutions had a return on equity of 17.50% and a net margin of 10.41%.Cognizant Technology Solutions’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Cognizant Technology Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.630-5.770 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Cognizant Technology Solutions will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognizant Technology Solutions

In other news, insider Surya Gummadi sold 1,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.06, for a total value of $143,527.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 25,641 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,741.46. This trade represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cognizant Technology Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,422,000. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 16.5% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 306,078 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $20,529,000 after acquiring an additional 43,252 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital lifted its position in shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions by 62.6% in the third quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 24,622 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after acquiring an additional 9,482 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 5.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 863,720 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $57,930,000 after buying an additional 45,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Cognizant Technology Solutions by 11.0% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 193,464 shares of the information technology service provider’s stock worth $12,976,000 after buying an additional 19,177 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.44% of the company’s stock.

Cognizant Technology Solutions News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognizant Technology Solutions this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and margin improvement — Cognizant reported Q1 EPS above estimates and raised its 2026 margin outlook, supporting a view of improving profitability. Cognizant Q1 Earnings Beat
Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Management declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33/share (record May 18), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. (Company announcement)
Positive Sentiment: Selective analyst bullishness — Nomura raised its price target to $93 and kept a buy rating, showing some bullish conviction among analysts. Nomura raises PT
Neutral Sentiment: Astreya acquisition (~$600M) — Cognizant agreed to buy Astreya to bolster AI/cloud capabilities; strategic upside if integrated successfully, but adds near‑term cash outflow and execution risk. Cognizant to buy Astreya
Negative Sentiment: Cluster of price‑target cuts — Several firms trimmed targets (Morgan Stanley to $63, JPMorgan to $74, Wedbush to $56, Wells Fargo to $83, Guggenheim to $80) reflecting more conservative views on growth and valuation; broad analyst downgrades/PT cuts are pressuring the stock. Morgan Stanley cuts PT JPMorgan cuts PT Wedbush cuts PT Wells Fargo cuts PT Guggenheim lowers PT
Negative Sentiment: Q2 revenue outlook miss & cost program — Management’s Q2 revenue outlook disappointed investors and the company announced cost‑cutting measures, prompting near‑term concern about top‑line momentum despite cost actions. Q2 outlook miss
Negative Sentiment: Project Leap & restructuring risk — Analysts flagged risks from the Project Leap restructuring and related execution/cost pressures, which could weigh on margins and productivity if issues persist. Project Leap risks

Cognizant Technology Solutions Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.