Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (NASDAQ: CTSH)

Sector: Technology Industry: Information Technology Services CIK: 0001058290
Market Cap 41.45 Bn
P/B 2.78
P/E 19.48
P/S 1.99
ROIC (Qtr) 6.24
Div Yield % 1.83
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 7.36
Total Debt (Qtr) 1.17 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.08

About

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (CTSH) is a leading professional services company that operates in the technology sector. The company is renowned for engineering modern businesses and delivering strategic outcomes for its clients, enabling them to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Cognizant achieves this by assisting clients in modernizing technology, reimagining processes, and transforming experiences. The company's main business activities include providing digital services and solutions, consulting, application development, systems...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong operating cash flow of 2.94B provides robust 2.52x coverage of total debt 1.17B, indicating excellent debt servicing capability and financial flexibility.
  • Healthy cash reserves of 2.34B provide 12.52x coverage of short-term debt 187M, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Strong tangible asset base of 11.56B provides 9.88x coverage of total debt 1.17B, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 2.94B provides strong 16.54x coverage of stock compensation 178M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Operating cash flow of 2.94B provides exceptional 61.35x coverage of interest expenses 48M, showing strong debt service capability.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 2.94B barely covers its investment activities of (234M), with a coverage ratio of -12.59, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 2.94B provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (609M) with a -4.84 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Free cash flow of 2.72B represents just -4.23x of debt issuance (644M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Retained earnings of 14.94B provide limited buffer against comprehensive income items of (64M), which is -233.47x, indicating elevated exposure to market risks.
  • Operating cash flow of 2.94B is outpaced by equity issuance of (1.13B) (-2.60 ratio), indicating concerning reliance on equity markets for funding operations.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Information Technology Services
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 IBM International Business Machines Corp 279.99 Bn 35.41 4.28 66.57 Bn
2 ACN Accenture plc 168.17 Bn 22.09 2.38 8.20 Bn
3 INFY Infosys Ltd 74.96 Bn 23.74 3.89 -
4 CTSH Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp 41.45 Bn 19.48 1.99 1.17 Bn
5 FIS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. 35.21 Bn 231.62 3.36 13.00 Bn
6 WIT Wipro Ltd 29.93 Bn 19.70 2.97 1.95 Bn
7 BR Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. 26.38 Bn 28.51 3.74 3.28 Bn
8 LDOS Leidos Holdings, Inc. 23.72 Bn 16.88 1.37 5.23 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 2.03 1.44
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 13.86 5.63
EV to Debt EV to Debt 34.90 8.06
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 12.02 -4.05
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 10.63 -0.52
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 15.00 -1.66
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 0.99 1.35
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 1.96 57.14
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 2.78 3.34
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 19.48 -5.47
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 3.49 -0.83
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 28.50 0.66
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 1.23 0.47
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 21.97 6.24
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 70.79 -319.17
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 23.29 -253.62
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 16.29 114.15
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 3.36 35.23
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) -5.62 -22.49
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 12.94 -25.03
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 13.00 -82.44
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 13.14 97.07
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) -4.42 147.29
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 65.01 -8,638.64
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 6.49 -8.24
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 1.04 0.78
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.19 0.01
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.68 0.66
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 2.36 2.12
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.08 0.88
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 70.79 -319.17
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 70.79 -319.17
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 18.90 -550.76
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 16.29 -775.74
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 16.06 -827.89
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 34.10 24.07
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 10.20 -830.34