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ADBE vs. CTSH: Adobe vs. Cognizant Stock Comparison

How do Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but ADBE is classified in Software while CTSH is classified in IT Services.

Company profile comparison for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
Profile ItemADBECTSH
NameAdobe Inc.Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesSoftware & Services
GICS IndustrySoftwareIT Services
GICS Sub-IndustryApplication SoftwareIT Consulting & Other Services
Market Capitalization93.14 billion USD28.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateAugust 13, 1986June 19, 1998
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ADBE
CTSH
GSPC
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Total Return (1Y)-27.09%-10.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-25.55%1.40%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-18.62%-2.88%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ADBE
CTSH
GSPC
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.62%43.62%
Beta (5Y)1.380.83
Max Drawdown (5Y)-71.90%-56.08%
Avg. Volume (3M)4.61M6.65M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ADBE and CTSH are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.75-0.35
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.04-0.50

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Adobe (ADBE) at 61.90% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Cognizant (CTSH) at 17.37%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

61.90%

ADBE
61.90%
Max
53.85%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

17.37%

Max
53.85%
Q3
17.90%
CTSH
17.37%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Adobe (ADBE) at 28.05% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cognizant (CTSH) at 11.75%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

28.05%

Max
41.17%
ADBE
28.05%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

11.75%

Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
CTSH
11.75%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Adobe (ADBE) at 34.82% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cognizant (CTSH) at 16.30%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

34.82%

Max
46.89%
ADBE
34.82%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

16.30%

Max
46.89%
Q3
17.64%
CTSH
16.30%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
ROE (TTM)61.90%17.37%
ROA (TTM)20.08%10.78%
Net Margin (TTM)28.05%11.75%
Operating Margin (TTM)34.82%16.30%
Gross Margin (TTM)89.25%33.42%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Adobe (ADBE) at 10.53% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Cognizant (CTSH) at 6.95% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Adobe (ADBE) at 35.11% and Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.11% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.53%6.95%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)10.52%2.80%
EPS Growth (YoY)35.11%1.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)18.25%1.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 2.22 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Adobe (ADBE) at 0.77 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ADBE.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

0.77

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
ADBE
0.77
Min
0.03

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

2.22

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
CTSH
2.22
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Adobe (ADBE) at 0.58 and Cognizant (CTSH) at 0.14 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

0.58

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
ADBE
0.58
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

0.14

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
CTSH
0.14
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.772.22
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.580.14
Net Debt / EBITDA0.120.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Adobe (ADBE) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cognizant (CTSH) reports a yield of 1.98%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

ADBE
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

1.98%

CTSH
1.98%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Adobe (ADBE) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cognizant (CTSH) reports a payout of 23.72%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

ADBE
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

23.72%

CTSH
23.72%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.98%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%23.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Adobe (ADBE) at 13.36 and Cognizant (CTSH) at 11.81 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

13.36

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
ADBE
13.36
Min
6.69

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

11.81

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
CTSH
11.81
Min
6.69
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.32 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Adobe (ADBE) at 3.59 prices around its industry’s middle — CTSH costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

3.59

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
ADBE
3.59
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

1.32

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
CTSH
1.32
Min
0.02
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Adobe (ADBE) at 7.95 and Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.97 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ADBE

Software & Services industry group

7.95

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
ADBE
7.95
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90

CTSH

Software & Services industry group

1.97

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
Median
4.30
CTSH
1.97
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
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Adobe (ADBE) vs. Cognizant (CTSH): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Adobe (ADBE) and Cognizant (CTSH)
MetricADBECTSH
P/E Ratio (TTM)13.3611.81
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.591.32
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.951.97
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)10.03%7.19%