Cognizant Technology 'A'

Cognizant CFO Jatin Dalal said AI and weak discretionary spend are weighing on overall IT-services growth, but the company’s banking, financial services and insurance business grew at a double-digit rate in Q2. The firm reports 40% of software-engineering work is now AI-assisted, trailing-12-month bookings rose 5%, and new work is expanding even as productivity reduces some existing volumes. Cognizant expects gradual margin improvement, will keep a 50/25/25 capital-allocation framework and executed an accelerated $1 billion buyback; staffing is likely to remain largely flat for 18–24 months. » More on finance.yahoo.com

At the Citi TMT conference Cognizant said early investments in AI and winning larger contracts offset weaker discretionary spending in the IT services market. The company sees a shift from a labor‑intensive model to AI‑backed and agent‑based systems, expects this to drive 5–8% annual revenue per‑head growth and a gradual improvement in gross margins. Project Leap is contributing efficiency gains, but savings are being reinvested in training, AI infrastructure and tools, which limits near‑term margin expansion. Cognizant plans further capital returns and possible acquisitions, and is considering a potential listing in India, with a regulatory draft expected by the end of 2026. » More on de.investing.com

Cognizant shares fell 2.2% in premarket trading after the release of Q2 results. Analysts had previously raised concerns about rising employee turnover, weakening utilization and pressure in the health-sciences segment, which accounts for around 30% of revenue. Several firms subsequently cut their price targets sharply (average reduction about 31%), and the company shows a negative Earnings ESP of -1.34%. After a recent rally driven by a new AI unit and a partnership with Anthropic, profit-taking and uncertainty about a possible guidance adjustment led to the setback. » More on de.investing.com