It's been a good week for Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ:CTSH) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest yearly results, and the shares gained 5.2% to US$87.09. It was a credible result overall, with revenues of US$20b and statutory earnings per share of US$4.51 both in line with analyst estimates, showing that Cognizant Technology Solutions is executing in line with expectations. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on Cognizant Technology Solutions after the latest results.

View our latest analysis for Cognizant Technology Solutions

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Cognizant Technology Solutions from 24 analysts is for revenues of US$20.6b in 2025. If met, it would imply an okay 4.5% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to expand 10% to US$4.99. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$20.9b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$4.98 in 2025. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$86.70. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic Cognizant Technology Solutions analyst has a price target of US$100.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$71.00. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. The period to the end of 2025 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 4.5% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 3.8% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 9.4% per year. So it's pretty clear that Cognizant Technology Solutions is expected to grow slower than similar companies in the same industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$86.70, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Cognizant Technology Solutions going out to 2027, and you can see them free on our platform here..

You can also see our analysis of Cognizant Technology Solutions' Board and CEO remuneration and experience, and whether company insiders have been buying stock.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.