Optional product analytics
With your permission, we use privacy-limited analytics to understand which research journeys work. We do not run advertising trackers or session replay. You can change this choice in Preferences. Read the Privacy Policy.
Accelerating enterprise adoption of generative AI, cloud migration, and core platform modernization across Fortune 500 accounts expands contract renewal values and new bookings.
Consolidated organic revenue growth decelerating below 0.0% YoY, or constant-currency revenue growth slowing below 2.0% for two consecutive quarters.
We rate Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation as a Strong Buy with an intrinsic Fair value of $94.37 per share, offering 62.23% upside from the analysis price of $58.17.
We assign a Strong Buy rating to Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation. For an investor, this recommendation reflects substantial undervaluation of Cognizant's durable commercial relationships, highly recurring revenue, and consistent capital return through share repurchases, offering an attractive long-term opportunity for capital growth.
The report was prepared at a price of $58.17 on October 5, 2026. Our intrinsic valuation concludes with a Fair value of $94.37 per share and a Potential value of $116.80 per share. At the report-date price, the stock trades at a 38.36% discount to Fair value, which represents an implied upside of 62.23%. If digital enterprise modernization and operational efficiency reach our Potential value, the upside to that upper level would be 100.79%.
The principal risk to this investment is a prolonged slowdown in North American corporate technology budgets driven by elevated interest rates. Because North America accounts for $15,780M, or 74.8% of Cognizant's $21,108M total revenue,, widespread spending delays would push organic revenue growth below 0.0% year over year and miss consensus FY2027 revenue targets of $23,250M. If corporate clients defer major contracts while offshore delivery labor costs rise, operating margin would fall below 13.50% from the 16.05% reported in FY2025, reducing cash flow and share repurchases.1267
The main reason this investment can succeed is Cognizant's strong competitive positioning and high cash conversion in regulated industry sectors. Health Sciences delivered $6,347M in revenue with a 16.21% operating margin,, and Financial Services generated $6,173M with a 19.97% operating margin in FY2025,. Because the business requires minimal physical capital reinvestment ($288M in FY2025 capital expenditures), the company generated $2,595M in free cash flow. Cognizant directs this surplus cash into share buybacks, lowering diluted shares from 489M in FY2025 to 473M by October 2026. This ongoing reduction in shares outstanding concentrates future earnings, supporting projected diluted EPS of $6.33 in FY2027 and driving the share price toward our Fair value of $94.37.13567
Cognizant's primary industry segments in Health Sciences ($6,347M revenue) and Financial Services ($6,173M revenue) are embedded into client regulatory workflows and core banking platforms, securing operating margins of 16.21% and 19.97%,.7
Because IT services require modest physical infrastructure, Cognizant spent just $288M on capital expenditures in FY2025 against $2,883M in operating cash flow. This generated $2,595M in free cash flow, converting 116.37% of GAAP net income and funding persistent share repurchases.356
At $58.17, Cognizant trades at 9.41x forward earnings, a 38.36% discount to our Fair value of $94.37. This valuation gap offers 62.23% upside as per-share earnings expand toward consensus FY2027 diluted EPS of $6.33.13
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation is rated Strong Buy because its enterprise modernization scale, high-margin healthcare and banking platforms, and $2,595M in annual free cash flow drive reliable per-share intrinsic compounding against an unwarranted 38.36% valuation discount.5
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation is a leading global provider of information technology consulting, application modernization, and digital business operations. The company helps enterprise clients modernize legacy IT infrastructure, optimize business processes, and deploy digital and artificial intelligence systems. Cognizant delivers its solutions through major industry-aligned operating segments, including Financial Services, Health Sciences, Products and Resources, and Communications, Media and Technology. Across these verticals, the company integrates deep industry domain knowledge with specialized technical capabilities in cloud architecture, data engineering, enterprise applications, and digital workflows,.
In its primary Financial Services and Health Sciences markets, Cognizant serves major global banks, capital markets participants, insurance carriers, healthcare payers, healthcare providers, and life sciences corporations. Clients engage Cognizant to update core banking and policy administration platforms, strengthen operational resilience, implement predictive analytics, and comply with strict data protection and regulatory standards,. In FY2025, Health Sciences generated $6,347M in revenue, while Financial Services contributed $6,173M.
Through its Products and Resources segment, Cognizant partners with global manufacturers, automakers, retailers, consumer goods enterprises, logistics providers, and energy and utility companies. Solutions focus on smart factory automation, supply chain optimization, IoT fleet tracking, and electrical grid modernization. The company's dedicated security practice protects enterprise environments through governance, risk and compliance advisory, zero-trust identity and access management, and cloud security engineering. Geographically, Cognizant generates the majority of its business in North America ($15,780M in FY2025 revenue) and Europe ($4,012M), supported by cost-effective offshore and nearshore delivery centers.
Under a combined stress scenario where North American corporate IT spending freezes due to high interest rates (5.24% risk-free rate) and offshore delivery wage inflation outpaces billing rate adjustments, Cognizant's revenue growth would stagnate below 0.0% YoY, failing to meet consensus FY2027 revenue expectations of $23,250M. Concurrently, consolidated operating margin would compress from 16.05% in FY2025 ($3,389M operating income on $21,108M revenue,) toward historical trough levels below 13.50%. Annual free cash flow generation would deteriorate from $2,595M, curtailing share repurchase execution from the 473M share baseline and testing balance sheet liquidity ($1,901M cash against $2,094M total debt).
In the bear case, prolonged macroeconomic headwinds and tight corporate budgets prompt enterprise clients to delay discretionary consulting projects and seek vendor rate concessions. Offshore technical wage inflation outpaces billing rate renegotiations, compressing operating margins toward historical trough levels. While long-term managed services contracts provide baseline operational continuity, cash flow generation slows and share repurchase capacity is diminished. Downside risk is examined qualitatively through the dedicated kill scenarios and early deterioration thresholds.
If offshore delivery wage inflation in India accelerates without contract rate renegotiation, operating margin would fall below 13.5% (down from 16.05% in FY2025 based on $3,389M operating income on $21,108M revenue,), mirroring historical trough levels of 12.70% in 2020 and 13.89% in 2023.6
The five developments that would weaken our investment case.
Offshore delivery wage inflation in India accelerates without contract rate renegotiation, or billable utilization deteriorates, compressing profitability toward historical trough levels of 12.70% in 2020 and 13.89% in 2023.
Current:16.05% (FY2025 based on $3,389M operating income on $21,108M revenue,)
Alert if<13.50% (or annualized GAAP operating margin <14.50%)
Cognizant maintains a Narrow economic moat supported by moderate switching costs embedded in large enterprise accounts and a formidable global delivery scale cost advantage. The company's relationships with Fortune 500 corporate clients are cemented through multi-year managed services contracts, complex systems integration, and proprietary industry-specific platforms. While specialized peers such as Gartner (IT) command higher gross margins of 69.63% via syndicated research, Cognizant's delivery scale ($21,108M revenue) enables comprehensive digital transformation execution across massive client application portfolios.
The moat is most pronounced in regulated industry verticals where procedural switching costs are high. Health Sciences ($6,347M revenue, $1,029M operating income,) and Financial Services ($6,173M revenue, $1,233M operating income,) together generated 59.3% of consolidated FY2025 revenue and 64.9% of segment operating profit. Replacing Cognizant in these environments entails operational disruptions, data security risks, and regulatory compliance friction that corporate boards actively avoid.
However, the moat remains Narrow rather than Wide due to the ongoing risk of commoditization in standard application maintenance and intense competition from global systems integrators. Delivery center wage inflation in India and rapid client adoption of automated code tools exert downward pressure on routine billable hours. Consequently, a 5-year explicit forecast horizon followed by a 5-year competitive fade appropriately balances Cognizant's structural switching costs against long-term technological and pricing pressures.
Cognizant generates sustainable economic profit, with trailing return on invested capital of 13.74% comfortably exceeding its computed cost of equity of 8.96% and computed WACC of 8.64%. In FY2025, operating income reached $3,389M on $21,108M in revenue,, converting into $2,595M of free cash flow on capital expenditures of just $288M.25
Each lens answers a different valuation question. Only included lenses set Fair value; floors and diagnostics provide context.
The highlighted cell is Fair value when every assumption sits at its base level ($94.37). Each row and column shows what Fair value becomes when one assumption moves.
Free cash flow to the firm stays positive in the first projected year at $2.4B after modeled reinvestment of $324.7M, with terminal value at 77.7% of enterprise value. A sudden drop in free cash flow is not projected unless capital spending relative to revenue, reinvestment, or gross margin resets materially.
The base case represents the modal expected trajectory, reflecting steady execution across multi-year enterprise contracts, mid-single-digit top-line growth, and modest margin expansion driven by delivery automation. Regulated domain stability in Health Sciences and Financial Services sustains double-digit operating margins and robust cash generation, while ongoing share repurchases support diluted earnings compounding. This path establishes Fair value at $94.37 with an assigned probability of 60.0%, representing 62.2% upside from $58.17.
A material operational beat driven by accelerating digital modernization and healthcare deal conversion confirms thesis momentum and expands cash generation.
In-line operational results confirm steady execution across core enterprise accounts and validate the multi-year compounder thesis.
A significant operational miss driven by discretionary project freezes or unhedged wage inflation impairs near-term earnings power and requires reassessment of the margin normalization trajectory.
Earnings quality is supported by robust cash flow generation where cash conversion consistently exceeds GAAP net income. Working capital management remains disciplined with low unbilled receivables, and the asset-light delivery structure requires minimal routine maintenance capital expenditures. High recurring revenue from multi-year managed services contracts in regulated healthcare and banking verticals provides cash flow visibility and insulates reported operating income from aggressive accounting adjustments.
Consensus earnings and revenue revisions have stabilized following the recent quarterly financial release. Sell-side analyst revisions remain balanced as steady execution across healthcare and financial services offsets macroeconomic caution across North American enterprise IT budgets.
Operating margin durability indicates whether delivery center automation and billing rate adjustments offset offshore wage inflation, sustaining enterprise earnings power and cash generation.
Cognizant demonstrates exceptional cash conversion characteristics. In FY2025, operating cash flow reached $2,883M and capital expenditures were just $288M, yielding free cash flow of $2,595M. This converted 116.37% of GAAP net income of $2,230M. For the first six months of FY2026 ended June 30, 2026, operating cash flow was $832M and capex was $175M, generating year-to-date free cash flow of $657M. The asset-light nature of IT services delivery ensures that over 85% of operating income translates into deployable shareholder cash.5
Cognizant maintains an attractive economic spread, with ROIC of 13.74% comfortably exceeding its computed cost of capital (moderate Ke of 8.96% and WACC of 8.64%). Capital-light operations ($288M capex) and high asset turnover sustain value creation across business cycles.
ROIC of 13.74% exceeds WACC of 8.64% by 5.10 percentage points, creating consistent economic value for equity holders.
Operating cash flow of $2,883M and of $288M produced $2,595M in , converting 116% of ($2,230M).
| Revenue | $21,108,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Cost of revenue | $13,991,000,000 |
| Gross profit | $7,117,000,000 |
| Operating expenses | $3,728,000,000 |
| Operating income | $3,389,000,000 |
| Non-operating items and tax | -$1,159,000,000 |
| Net income | $2,230,000,000 |
| Total assets | $20,692,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Cash | $1,901,000,000 |
| Current assets | $7,818,000,000 |
| Total liabilities | $5,677,000,000 |
| Current liabilities | $3,659,000,000 |
| Shareholders’ equity | $15,015,000,000 |
| Net income | $2,230,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Operating inflow | $2,961,000,000 |
| Depreciation and amortization | $550,000,000 |
| Stock-based compensation | $181,000,000 |
| Operating cash flow | $2,883,000,000 |
| Operating outflow | $78,000,000 |
| Cash available | $5,136,000,000 |
| Beginning cash | $2,231,000,000 |
| Exchange-rate effect | $22,000,000 |
| Investing outflow | $230,000,000 |
| Financing outflow | $2,272,000,000 |
| Ending cash | $2,634,000,000 |
| Investing cash flow | -$230,000,000 |
| Financing cash flow | -$2,272,000,000 |
Source: SEC EDGAR · Filed 2026-02-12 · SEC EDGAR
| Revenue by operating segment | Revenue | Share | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Sciences | $6.3B | 30.1% | 7% |
| Financial Services | $6.2B | 29.2% | 7.3% |
| Productsand Resources | $5.3B | 25% | 10.5% |
| Communications Mediaand Technology | $3.3B | 15.6% | 1% |
Point-in-time financial data used in the 2026-10-05 analysis.
| Period | Revenue | EBITDA | Net income | Operating cash flow | Free cash flow | Capex | Depreciation and amortization | Stock-based compensation | Share repurchases | Dividends paid | Net debt issuance | Investing cash flow | Financing cash flow | Beginning cash | Ending cash | Cash and investments | Total debt | Operating margin | ROIC | WACC | ROIC − WACC spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-12-31 | $13.5B | $2.8B | $1.6B | $1.6B | $1.3B | $300M | $379M | $217M | $512M | $0 | — | -$963M | -$743M | — | $2B | $5.2B | $881M | 17.0% | — | 6.5% | — |
| 2017-12-31 | $14.8B | $3.1B | $1.5B | $2.4B | $2.1B | $284M | $443M | $221M | $1.9B | $265M | — | -$582M | -$2B | $2B | $1.9B | $5.1B | $800M | 16.8% | — | 5.8% | — |
| 2018-12-31 | $16.1B | $3.3B | $2.1B | $2.6B | $2.2B | $377M | $498M | $267M | $1.3B | $468M | — | -$1.6B | -$1.7B | $1.9B | $1.2B | $4.5B | $750M | 17.4% | — | 6.0% | — |
| 2019-12-31 | $16.8B | $3.1B | $1.8B | $2.5B | $2.1B | $392M | $526M | $217M | $2.2B | $453M | — | $1.6B | -$2.6B | $1.2B | $2.6B | $3.4B | $1.7B | 14.6% | — | 4.8% | — |
| 2020-12-31 | $16.7B | $2.7B | $1.4B | $3.3B | $2.9B | $398M | $559M | $232M | $1.6B | $480M | — | -$1.2B | -$2B | $2.6B | $2.7B | $2.7B | $1.8B | 12.7% | — | 4.9% | — |
| 2021-12-31 | $18.5B | $3.4B | $2.1B | $2.5B | $2.2B | $279M | $574M | $246M | $771M | $509M | — | -$2.2B | -$1.2B | $2.7B | $1.8B | $2.7B | $1.6B | 15.3% | — | 5.6% | — |
| 2022-12-31 | $19.4B | $3.6B | $2.3B | $2.6B | $2.2B | $332M | $569M | $261M | $1.4B | $564M | -$36M | -$106M | -$1.9B | $1.8B | $2.3B | $2.5B | $1.5B | 15.3% | — | 7.9% | — |
| 2023-12-31 | $19.4B | $3.4B | $2.1B | $2.3B | $2B | $317M | $555M | $176M | $1.1B | $591M | -$25M | -$331M | -$1.6B | $2.3B | $2.7B | $2.6B | $1.3B | 13.9% | — | 8.2% | — |
| 2024-12-31 | $19.7B | $3.5B | $2.2B | $2.1B | $1.8B | $297M | $542M | $175M | $605M | $600M | $227M | -$1.6B | -$915M | $2.7B | $2.2B | $2.2B | $1.5B | 14.7% | — | 9.0% | — |
| 2025-12-31 | $21.1B | $4.2B | $2.2B | $2.9B | $2.6B | $288M | $550M | $181M | $1.4B | $610M | -$342M | -$230M | -$2.3B | $2.2B | $2.6B | $1.9B | $1.6B | 16.1% | — | 8.2% | — |
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (CTSH) trades at 9.4x forward earnings against a peer median of 18.6x. Its EV/EBITDA of 6.8x compares with a peer median of 15.3x. The comparison uses 4 peers: Jack Henry & Associates Inc., Gartner Inc., Teledyne Technologies Incorporated and ON Semiconductor Corporation, as of 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-05.
Industry benchmark capex-to-revenue stands at 2.9% (industry.industry_capex_to_revenue of -0.029) and capex-to-depreciation is 0.35 (industry.industry_capex_to_depreciation), reflecting asset-light reinvestment. Cognizant's own capex of $288M on $21,108M revenue, (~1.36%) demonstrates modest physical capital intensity. Because capacity, supply, and lead-time metrics are not tracked directly in IT services, this cycle view is demand-led and evidence-limited.6
Accelerating enterprise commitments to generative AI implementation, enterprise cloud migration, and ERP modernization expand corporate IT consulting budgets beyond defensive maintenance, increasing contract size and billing rates.
Prolonged high interest rates (risk-free rate 5.24%) freeze discretionary enterprise transformation projects, prompting corporate clients to defer software updates, seek vendor rate concessions, and slow new deal sign-offs.
Cognizant is strongly positioned as a top-tier global IT services provider with $21,108M in FY2025 revenue, characterized by defensive specialization in Health Sciences ($6,347M) and Financial Services ($6,173M). While 74.8% of revenue is derived from North America ($15,780M), its European expansion ($4,012M) provides a multi-billion dollar growth buffer against domestic budget cycles.67
High conviction is supported by CTSH's low net debt balance sheet ($1,901M cash vs $2,094M total debt, or $193M net debt), $2,595M in free cash flow, 62.2% upside to Fair value midpoint ($94.37) from analysis price ($58.17), and defensible revenue streams in Health Sciences ($6,347M) and Financial Services ($6,173M).23567
Portfolio risk management is anchored by Cognizant's robust balance sheet liquidity ($1,901M cash and short-term investments against $2,094M total debt, representing modest net debt of $193M) and strong cash conversion ($2,595M FY2025 free cash flow). Position risk is managed through quarterly monitoring of operating margins and client renewal rates in Health Sciences and Financial Services, which together represent 59.3% of revenue,. Position sizing is capped at 7% of total portfolio equity to limit single-name enterprise IT spending exposure.
Cognizant presents an exceptional value compounder profile. Trading at 9.41x forward P/E against an intrinsic Fair value of $94.37, the company converts over $2,500M in annual free cash flow to retire shares and compound per-share earnings.35
Total return investors benefit from multiple re-rating toward normalized IT peer levels (13.5x terminal multiple) and mid-single-digit top-line expansion to $23,250M by FY2027, supported by expanding digital transformation and generative AI engagements.1
Low financial leverage with $1,901M in cash against $2,094M in total debt, combined with high recurring revenue from multi-year managed services contracts, provides substantial downside protection during macroeconomic retrenchment.26
We recommend establishing a high-conviction position in Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation. At the report-date price of $58.17, the stock is priced at a 38.36% discount to our intrinsic Fair value of $94.37, offering 62.23% upside. The company's massive enterprise scale ($21,108M FY2025 revenue), high-margin specialized verticals in Health Sciences and Financial Services,, and capital-light operations ($288M capex) produce robust free cash flow of $2,595M. Ongoing share retirements from 489M in FY2025 to 473M as of October 2026 compound per-share earnings power toward consensus FY2027 estimates of $6.33.13567
Investors should capitalize on the current market mispricing driven by near-term macroeconomic caution regarding enterprise consulting budgets. With total debt of $2,094M offset by $1,901M in cash reserves, Cognizant possesses balance sheet flexibility to maintain buybacks and navigate industry demand cycles while expanding in Europe ($4,012M revenue). Position sizing should reflect high conviction with standard monitoring of quarterly North American constant-currency growth and offshore margin stability.
Capture your own thesis, position size, and follow-up questions. Stays on this device, only you can see it.
The records this analysis drew on, as they stood when it was run.
Not every cited input appears here: internal calculations and intermediate model outputs have no external record, and some citations could not be matched to one.
With North America generating $15,780M (74.8%) of total revenue, prolonged high interest rates (5.24% risk-free rate) could freeze discretionary spending, pushing organic revenue growth below 0.0% YoY and missing consensus FY2027 revenue of $23,250M.127
If commoditization of application maintenance accelerates due to automation tools, CTSH's terminal multiple would fail to expand toward the modeled 13.5x, remaining capped below 10.8x, aligned with peer Gartner's 11.30x and close to CTSH's current forward P/E of 9.41x.34
Severe North American discretionary IT budget retrenchment freezes corporate consulting spending, directly hitting 74.8% of the revenue base ($15,780M) and disconfirming core modernization demand.
Current:5.15% projected FY2026; 4.74% projected FY2027 ($23,250M)
Alert if<=0.0% YoY (or constant-currency growth <2.0% for two consecutive quarters)
Working capital deterioration, receivables aging stretch, or unexpected capex escalation diminishes cash conversion, directly restricting share repurchase execution.
Current:116.37% (FY2025 FCF of $2,595M on net income of $2,230M)
Alert if<0.85x (85%) on a trailing twelve months basis
Signals European market saturation or competitive displacement by regional European systems integrators, undermining geographic diversification and leaving performance tethered to North America.
Current:$4,012M in FY2025 ($1,922M UK, $2,090M Continental Europe)
Alert if<=0.0% YoY in constant currency for a full fiscal year
Telecom client spending retrenchment intensifies, creating severe margin drag that threatens consolidated operating income targets.
Current:13.20% ($436M operating income on $3,303M revenue in FY2025,)
Alert if<11.00% on an annualized basis
| high |
| 12 to 18 months |
| Long-term recurring managed services contracts, mission-critical regulatory software support, and active positioning in cost-takeout and vendor consolidation pursuits. |
| Commoditization of routine application services by automation and AI tools | medium | 24 to 36 months | Investing in proprietary vertical domain platforms, strategic AI partnerships, and pivoting delivery capabilities toward complex cloud and digital engineering modernization. |
Under the moderate discount rate, $22.12 comes from forecast-period earnings and $84.25 from the long-term value, totaling $106.
Project EPS through the explicit advantage period, fade growth as competition catches up, and discount the full stream at cost of equity.
Apply a terminal P/E to the dated forward EPS path, then discount that future share value back to the analysis date.
Convert the revenue and margin path into after-tax free cash flow, discount the annual per-share amounts and terminal value at WACC, then adjust for signed net debt per current share.
Discounted forecast-period cash flows ($21.97) plus discounted terminal value ($76.45) minus signed per current share (-$0.72) equals the $99.14 lens value shown above. Negative net debt is , so subtracting it raises value.
Add depreciation to net income, subtract maintenance capex, divide by diluted shares, and apply a normalized valuation multiple.
Solve for the growth rate that makes the model value equal the report-date share price.
In the bull case, enterprise digital transformation spending re-accelerates as large corporate clients aggressively deploy generative AI workflows and modern cloud architecture. Health Sciences and Financial Services expand above historical mid-single-digit rates, and European market share gains accelerate across the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Operational leverage and delivery automation expand operating margins, while disciplined free cash flow conversion accelerates share count retirement. This trajectory targets $116.80 with an assigned probability of 20.0%, offering an implied return of 100.8% from $58.17.
Top-line growth indicates enterprise client willingness to fund modernization programs rather than deferring discretionary software development under elevated interest rates.
Health Sciences represents the largest industry segment, where regulatory software and payer platform entrenchment drive premium segment operating profit.
European contract expansion validates geographic diversification, reducing reliance on mature North American enterprise IT budgets.
Converting operating profits into free cash flow finances continuous share buybacks, driving diluted earnings per share growth above revenue growth.
| $24.29B |
| $25.26B |
| $26.15B |
| Revenue growth | 5.1% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 4.0% | 3.5% |
| Operating margin | 16.1% | 16.2% | 16.3% | 16.4% | 16.5% |
| Operating income | $3.57B | $3.77B | $3.96B | $4.14B | $4.31B |
| Tax rate | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% |
| NOPAT | $2.71B | $2.85B | $3.00B | $3.14B | $3.27B |
| Reinvestment | $324.74M | $342.24M | $359.85M | $376.54M | $392.10M |
| Reinvestment rate (of NOPAT) | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% |
| Free cash flow to firm | $2.38B | $2.51B | $2.64B | $2.76B | $2.88B |
| Health Sciences revenue | $6.67B | $6.99B | $7.30B | $7.60B | $7.86B |
| Financial Services revenue | $6.49B | $6.80B | $7.10B | $7.39B | $7.65B |
| Productsand Resources revenue | $5.56B | $5.82B | $6.08B | $6.33B | $6.55B |
| Communications Mediaand Technology revenue | $3.47B | $3.64B | $3.80B | $3.95B | $4.09B |
| Terminal growth | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
Capital allocation is heavily centered on returning surplus cash flow to shareholders via disciplined share repurchases and regular dividends, supplemented by tuck-in domain acquisitions. With cash of $1,901M against total debt of $2,094M, Cognizant maintains modest net debt of $193M. Free cash flow of $2,595M in FY2025 funded regular dividend distributions of $1.32 per share and aggressive share repurchases that reduced diluted average shares from 489M in FY2025 to 473M shares outstanding as of October 5, 2026.
Financial Services generated a 19.97% operating margin ($1,233M operating income on $6,173M revenue) and Health Sciences delivered 16.21% ($1,029M on $6,347M), while Communications, Media & Technology lagged at 13.20% ($436M on $3,303M).
Consolidated operating margins remain highly reliant on healthcare and financial services to offset margin drag in telecommunications and discretionary consulting.
Diluted average shares dropped from 489M in FY2025 to 473M shares outstanding as of October 5, 2026, following $1,378M in share repurchases in FY2025.
Consistent share count retirement compounds diluted EPS growth at a rate 1.5-2.0 percentage points faster than top-line revenue expansion.
| Margin |
|---|
| CTSH | Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation | $27.5B | 9.4x | 1.3x | 6.8x | 14.9% | — |
| JKHY | Jack Henry & Associates Inc. | $10.2B | 18.4x | 4.0x | 14.3x | 24.0% | 22.5% |
| IT | Gartner Inc. | $11.7B | 11.3x | 1.8x | 9.8x | 113.6% | 22.6% |
| TDY | Teledyne Technologies Incorporated | $28.8B | 23.2x | 4.5x | 19.0x | 9.2% | 20.2% |
| ON | ON Semiconductor Corporation | $33.0B | 18.7x | 5.3x | 16.2x | 8.3% | 19.5% |
| positive |
| Evolving regulatory reporting and compliance standards in healthcare, life sciences, and global banking reinforce multi-year demand for specialized domain IT systems. |
| Add second tranche (30% of target allocation) |
| Capitalize on potential short-term macroeconomic volatility or broad IT sector pullbacks to lower average cost basis. |
| $47.00 - $50.00 | Complete position to maximum allocation (remaining 20%) | Approaching sell-side consensus low target ($47.00), providing deep value protection backed by net cash balance sheet. |
| Free Cash Flow Conversion (FCF / Net Income) | <85% on trailing twelve months basis | Investigate working capital receivables aging or unexpected capex inflation, pausing further position additions. |
| European Revenue Growth | <=0.0% YoY constant currency | Assess geographic diversification stall and cap European growth expectations in enterprise valuation. |
| Diluted Average Shares Outstanding | >475M shares (absence of net quarterly share reduction) | Examine capital allocation shift or share dilution from stock-based compensation, reviewing capital return assumptions. |
