Current Yield
3.12%
TTM Dividend/Share
$1.28
Payment Frequency
Quarterly
Payout Ratio
27.8%
Consecutive Growth Years
7 (Dividend Challenger)
Key takeaways
- Dividend Challenger — Cognizant (CTSH) has raised its dividend for 7 consecutive years.
- Cognizant (CTSH) currently yields 3.12%, paying $1.28 per share over the trailing twelve months, distributed quarterly.
- Payout ratio is 27.8% — the share of earnings distributed as dividends.
- 6 of 7 dividend safety checks passed.
- 5-year dividend CAGR of 7.10% (growth is decelerating).
Dividend yield valuation for Cognizant (CTSH)
Current dividend yield vs its own 1Y / 3Y / 5Y historical averages — a rough valuation signal.
Valuation zone | Above average — potential buy zone |
Current yield (now) | 3.12% |
1-year average yield | 1.53%now 1.59 pp above |
3-year average yield | 1.55%now 1.57 pp above |
5-year average yield | 1.53%now 1.59 pp above |
CTSH: a yield above its history can signal value (or risk); below can signal a rich price. One valuation signal among many — review fundamentals before investing.
Dividend health for Cognizant (CTSH)
Cash-flow, leverage and returns metrics that signal whether the dividend is well-covered and sustainable.
Chowder score | 10.2% |
FCF payout ratio | 6.4% |
Net debt / EBITDA | -0.1x |
Interest coverage | 104.78x |
ROIC (TTM) | 13.8% |
Dividend safety score for Cognizant (CTSH)
Checks covering payout coverage, free-cash-flow support, leverage and dividend-growth durability.
6 of 7 checks passed
Payout ratio below 75%
Payout ratio is 27.8%, well below the 75% threshold.
Free cash flow covers dividend
TTM FCF after dividends is $1.9B — FCF fully covers the payout.
No dividend cuts in 9 years
No dividend cuts in the available 9 years of data.
Positive earnings growth trend
Earnings per share have grown over the past 5 years.
9+ years of consecutive growth
N/A — only 9 years of data available (need 10+).
FCF payout ratio below 70%
FCF payout ratio is 6.4%, below the 70% threshold.
Net Debt/EBITDA below 3x
Net Debt/EBITDA is -0.1x.
Dividend growth ≤ earnings growth (5Y)
Dividend growth (7.1%) exceeds EPS growth (6.7%) — payout ratio expanding.
This analysis is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Safety scores and comparisons reflect historical data and do not predict future performance.
Per-payment dividend history
37 payments from 2017 to 2026 · Adj. Dividend is split-adjusted
| May 18, 2026 | May 27, 2026 | $0.3300 | $0.3300 |
| Feb 18, 2026 | Feb 26, 2026 | $0.3300 | $0.3300 |
| Nov 18, 2025 | Nov 26, 2025 | $0.3100 | $0.3100 |
| Aug 18, 2025 | Aug 26, 2025 | $0.3100 | $0.3100 |
| May 19, 2025 | May 28, 2025 | $0.3100 | $0.3100 |
| Feb 18, 2025 | Feb 26, 2025 | $0.3100 | $0.3100 |
| Nov 19, 2024 | Nov 27, 2024 | $0.3000 | $0.3000 |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Aug 28, 2024 | $0.3000 | $0.3000 |
| May 17, 2024 | May 29, 2024 | $0.3000 | $0.3000 |
| Feb 16, 2024 | Feb 28, 2024 | $0.3000 | $0.3000 |
| Nov 20, 2023 | Nov 30, 2023 | $0.2900 | $0.2900 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | Aug 29, 2023 | $0.2900 | $0.2900 |
- May 18, 2026$0.3300
- Feb 18, 2026$0.3300
- Nov 18, 2025$0.3100
- Aug 18, 2025$0.3100
- May 19, 2025$0.3100
- Feb 18, 2025$0.3100
- Nov 19, 2024$0.3000
- Aug 20, 2024$0.3000
- May 17, 2024$0.3000
- Feb 16, 2024$0.3000
- Nov 20, 2023$0.2900
- Aug 18, 2023$0.2900
Historical dividend yield for Cognizant (CTSH)
Mean trailing dividend yield using one ratio snapshot per calendar year.Mean yield1Y: 1.53%5Y: 1.53%
Dividend per share for Cognizant (CTSH)
CAGR (per year)1Y: 3.33%5Y: 7.10%↓ Decelerating
| Year | Total ($/share) | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $0.45 | 3 |
| 2018 | $0.80 | 4 |
| 2019 | $0.80 | 4 |
| 2020 | $0.88 | 4 |
| 2021 | $0.96 | 4 |
| 2022 | $1.08 | 4 |
| 2023 | $1.16 | 4 |
| 2024 | $1.20 | 4 |
| 2025 | $1.24 | 4 |
| 2026 | $0.66 | 2 |
Dividend growth for Cognizant (CTSH)
Year-over-year change in total annual dividend per share (split-adjusted, by ex-dividend year). Green is an increase, red a cut.
Dividend Increase Track Record
Year-over-year change in total annual DPS (dividends per share, split-adjusted), based on ex-dividend date.
| 2026 | $1.2400 | — | — |
| 2025 | $1.2000 | $1.2400 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $1.1600 | $1.2000 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | $1.0800 | $1.1600 | +7.4% |
| 2022 | $0.9600 | $1.0800 | +12.5% |
| 2021 | $0.8800 | $0.9600 | +9.1% |
| 2020 | $0.8000 | $0.8800 | +10.0% |
| 2019 | $0.8000 | $0.8000 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | — | $0.8000 | — |
- 2026—
- 2025$1.2400
- 2024$1.2000
- 2023$1.1600
- 2022$1.0800
- 2021$0.9600
- 2020$0.8800
- 2019$0.8000
- 2018$0.8000
DPS sums split-adjusted amounts (adj. dividend) by ex-dividend calendar year—the same basis as the Adj. Dividend column in Dividend Payment History. The Dividend column can differ after stock splits. This table uses four decimals per annual total so the Change column matches the shown amounts; each payment row in Dividend Payment History also uses four.
Frequently asked questions
Cognizant (CTSH) Key Financials
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