CTSH vs. SHOP: Cognizant vs. Shopify Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP) 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

Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP) both belong to the IT Services industry, though CTSH is classified under IT Consulting & Other Services while SHOP falls under Internet Services & Infrastructure.

Company profile comparison for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Profile Item	CTSH	SHOP
Name	Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. Class A Common Stock	Shopify Inc.
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	IT Services	IT Services
GICS Sub-Industry	IT Consulting & Other Services	Internet Services & Infrastructure
Market Capitalization	28.93 billion USD	191.58 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 19, 1998	May 20, 2015
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CTSH

SHOP

GSPC

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP), 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 Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Total Return (1Y)	-10.80%	-0.87%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.40%	35.77%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.88%	-0.57%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CTSH

SHOP

GSPC

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP), 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 Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Shopify (SHOP) carries a highly aggressive beta of 2.65, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Cognizant (CTSH) is closer to market-like at 0.83 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.62%	59.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.83	2.65
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-56.08%	-84.82%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.65M	8.79M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CTSH and SHOP 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 Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.35	-0.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.50	-0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cognizant (CTSH) at 17.37% and Shopify (SHOP) at 16.83% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

16.83%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
SHOP: 16.83%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Cognizant (CTSH) at 11.75% and Shopify (SHOP) at 15.01% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

15.01%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
SHOP: 15.01%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Shopify (SHOP) at 18.39% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cognizant (CTSH) at 16.30%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

18.39%

Max: 46.89%
SHOP: 18.39%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
ROE (TTM)	17.37%	16.83%
ROA (TTM)	10.78%	10.77%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.75%	15.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	16.30%	18.39%
Gross Margin (TTM)	33.42%	47.49%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Shopify (SHOP) at 30.14% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Cognizant (CTSH) at 6.95% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Both Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.11% and Shopify (SHOP) at -39.47% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.95%	30.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	2.80%	27.31%
EPS Growth (YoY)	1.11%	-39.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.12%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 2.22 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Shopify (SHOP) at 4.86 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

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

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

4.86

Max: 5.11
SHOP: 4.86
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Shopify (SHOP) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Cognizant (CTSH) at 0.14 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

0.01

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
SHOP: 0.01
Min: 0.00

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.22	4.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.14	0.01
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.14	-1.75

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Shopify (SHOP) 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.

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%

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

SHOP: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Shopify (SHOP) 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.

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%

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

SHOP: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.98%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	23.72%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 11.81 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Shopify (SHOP) at 91.36 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

91.36

Max: 112.94
SHOP: 91.36
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.32 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Shopify (SHOP) at 13.52 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

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

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

13.52

Max: 17.91
SHOP: 13.52
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Cognizant (CTSH) at 1.97 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Shopify (SHOP) at 15.02 carries an above-peer premium to book — SHOP is pricier on assets.

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

SHOP

Software & Services industry group

15.02

Max: 16.63
SHOP: 15.02
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Cognizant (CTSH) vs. Shopify (SHOP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cognizant (CTSH) and Shopify (SHOP)
Metric	CTSH	SHOP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	11.81	91.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.32	13.52
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.97	15.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	7.19%	0.86%