EXLS vs SAIC vs CTSH Stock Comparison

ExlService Holdings, Science Applications International and Cognizant Technology Solutions Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Cognizant Technology Solutions leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Cognizant Technology Solutions 6, ExlService Holdings 4, Science Applications International 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionEXLSSAICCTSHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.37B $6.30B $32.29B CTSH
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.5x 16.6x 14.5x CTSH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.6x 14.1x 12.6x CTSH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.6% -0.8% +5.6% EXLS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.2% 5.1% 10.3% EXLS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.0% 12.6% 13.7% EXLS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.1x 0.1x CTSH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.02% CTSH
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +2.4% +44.8% +3.7% SAIC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.2%/yr +9.7%/yr -2.2%/yr EXLS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 43.3% 40.1% 42.9% SAIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 47/100 70/100 CTSH

Percentile Scorecard

EXLSSAICCTSH

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisEXLSSAICCTSH
Valuation 16 #42 of 50 49 #26 of 50 57 #22 of 50
Growth 75 #12 of 45 32 #31 of 45 48 #24 of 45
Profitability 95 #3 of 41 70 #13 of 41 90 #5 of 41
Financial Health 59 #26 of 62 20 #50 of 62 77 #15 of 62
Shareholder Returns 72 #9 of 30 66 #11 of 30 76 #8 of 30
Overall 64 47 70
  • EXLS ranked among 66 companies in Technology Services
  • SAIC ranked among 66 companies in Technology Services
  • CTSH ranked among 66 companies in Technology Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodEXLSSAICCTSHSPY
1 month +21.4%+9.6%+19.3% -1.0%
3 months +52.9%+22.5%+55.2% +2.9%
6 months +39.1%+52.4%+28.0% +6.4%
Year to date -0.3%+44.8%-15.0% +11.4%
1 year +2.4%+44.8%+3.7% +13.1%
3 years +63.7%+36.0%+8.3% +79.4%
3 years, per year +17.9%+10.8%+2.7% +21.5%
5 years +70.2%+58.6%-10.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +11.2%+9.7%-2.2% +10.9%
10 years +344.3%+116.8%+41.9% +255.2%
10 years, per year +16.1%+8.0%+3.6% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureEXLSSAICCTSHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 43.3%40.1%42.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 45.6%40.0%43.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.050.090.10 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.051.120.09 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.3%-46.6%-58.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.5%0.0%-18.6% -2.5%
52-week high $43.38$145.73$86.70 $779.14
52-week low $25.22$82.22$38.73 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleEXLSSAICCTSH
P/E now vs peer median 25.8xmedian 17.7x 16.3xmedian 17.7x 14.8xmedian 17.7x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 0.6x 0.8xmedian 0.6x 1.5xmedian 0.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.6xmedian 11.0x 11.3xmedian 11.0x 8.1xmedian 11.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.3xmedian 12.3x 9.9xmedian 12.3x 12.3xmedian 12.3x
P/B now vs peer median 7.4xmedian 1.4x 4.3xmedian 1.4x 2.2xmedian 1.4x
PEG now vs peer median 1.50median 1.54 -11.74median 1.54 4.53median 1.54

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsEXLSSAICCTSH
Revenue $2.24B $7.40B $21.64B
Gross profit $861.62M $936.00M $7.24B
Operating income $333.32M $592.00M $3.44B
Net income $250.00M $380.00M $2.22B
Free cash flow $275.04M $619.00M $2.60B
EPS (diluted) $1.64 $8.88 $4.76
Cash & equivalents $126.72M $126.00M $1.04B
Total debt $381.16M $2.49B $1.56B
Shares (diluted) 152.83M 42.80M 466.00M
Enterprise value $5.11B $5.84B $25.45B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricEXLSSAICCTSH
P/E 25.8x 16.3x 14.8x
P/FCF 23.3x 9.9x 12.3x
P/Operating cash flow 19.6x 9.3x 10.9x
P/S 2.9x 0.8x 1.5x
P/B 7.4x 4.3x 2.2x
P/Tangible book 7.7x 8.3x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA 16.6x 11.3x 8.1x
EV/EBIT 19.5x 14.3x 9.4x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 1.1x 1.5x
EV/FCF 23.7x 13.7x 12.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.9x 12.8x 11.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.50 -11.74 4.53

Growth

14 metrics
MetricEXLSSAICCTSH
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.6% -0.8% 5.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 13.2% -1.3% 3.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 15.0% 4.8% 3.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.8% 1.5% 2.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.0% 6.1% 8.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.9% -8.4% 7.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 5.8% -4.8% -8.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.4% -8.7% 0.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 13.7% 4.1% -3.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 17.2% -1.4% 3.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 37.5% 13.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.9% 9.3% 5.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1.0% 40.4% 13.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.1% 8.8% 6.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricEXLSSAICCTSH
Gross margin 38.5% 12.6% 33.4%
EBITDA margin 17.6% 10.1% 18.5%
Operating margin 14.9% 8.0% 15.9%
Pretax margin 14.5% 6.2% 16.2%
Net margin 11.2% 5.1% 10.3%
FCF margin 12.3% 8.4% 12.0%
Operating cash flow margin 14.6% 8.9% 13.5%
Return on equity 30.4% 26.6% 15.0%
Return on assets 14.6% 7.1% 10.7%
Return on invested capital 21.0% 12.6% 13.7%
Return on capital employed 33.1% 13.7% 20.0%
Asset turnover 1.3x 1.4x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.7x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 4.1% 0.9% 0.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricEXLSSAICCTSH
Debt / assets 21.8% 45.8% 7.5%
Debt / equity 0.4x 1.7x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.1x 0.1x
Debt / FCF 1.4x 4.0x 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 50.4% 73.5% 30.6%
Equity / assets 49.6% 26.5% 69.4%
Interest coverage 18.3x 4.5x 95.4x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.2x 2.2x
Quick ratio 1.3x 1.1x 1.7x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 7.73 3.06 5.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricEXLSSAICCTSH
Dividend yield – 1.0% 1.8%
Net buyback yield 7.0% 7.5% 7.4%
Shareholder yield 7.0% 8.5% 9.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 17.6% 27.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 10.8% 23.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -6.9% 1.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -6.5% 2.3%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusEXLSSAICCTSH
Forward P/E 19.6xFY2026 14.1xFY2026 12.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.16FY2026 $10.36FY2026 $5.61FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.8%FY2026 -3.6%FY2026 +6.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +26.4% +4.7% +10.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.53BFY2026 $7.57BFY2026 $20.77BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.3%FY2026 +4.2%FY2026 -1.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.5% +1.5% +7.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersEXLSSAICCTSH
Held by institutions 100.0% 83.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 442 433 915
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.7% +0.7% +6.6%
Institutions buying 211 214 464
Institutions selling 188 142 352
Buyers to sellers 1.12 1.51 1.32

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

EXLSSAICCTSH
EXLS 1.00 0.34 0.74
SAIC 0.34 1.00 0.32
CTSH 0.74 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, EXLS, SAIC and CTSH?

Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) is the largest by market capitalisation: ExlService Holdings (EXLS) $6.37B, Science Applications International (SAIC) $6.30B, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) $32.29B.

Which stock is cheaper, EXLS, SAIC and CTSH?

Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 25.5x, Science Applications International (SAIC) 16.6x, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 14.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) is cheapest (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 19.6x, Science Applications International (SAIC) 14.1x, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 12.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

ExlService Holdings (EXLS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: ExlService Holdings (EXLS) +13.6%, Science Applications International (SAIC) -0.8%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) +5.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

ExlService Holdings (EXLS) has the highest net margin (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 11.2%, Science Applications International (SAIC) 5.1%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 10.3%). On return on invested capital, ExlService Holdings (EXLS) leads (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 21.0%, Science Applications International (SAIC) 12.6%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 13.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Science Applications International (SAIC) returned the most: ExlService Holdings (EXLS) +2.4%, Science Applications International (SAIC) +44.8%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) +3.7%. Over five years, ExlService Holdings (EXLS) compounded fastest (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) +11.2%/yr, Science Applications International (SAIC) +9.7%/yr, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) -2.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) has the highest dividend yield: ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 0.00%, Science Applications International (SAIC) 0.01%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 0.02%. ExlService Holdings (EXLS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Science Applications International (SAIC) has been the steadiest (ExlService Holdings (EXLS) 43.3%, Science Applications International (SAIC) 40.1%, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) 42.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, EXLS, SAIC and CTSH?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.