Needham & Company LLC Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $47.00 to $67.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target indicates a potential upside of 13.80% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on CGNX. Barclays set a $54.00 price target on shares of Cognex and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Cognex from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Cognex from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $42.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.07.

Cognex Price Performance

CGNX traded up $15.84 during trading on Thursday, reaching $58.87. 9,915,811 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,048,803. Cognex has a 1 year low of $22.67 and a 1 year high of $59.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.08 and a beta of 1.53.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Cognex by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,598,728 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $842,522,000 after buying an additional 374,999 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Cognex by 173,138.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 10,477,448 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $376,979,000 after purchasing an additional 10,471,400 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,101,583 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $292,224,000 after buying an additional 76,212 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in shares of Cognex by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,013,184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $252,360,000 after buying an additional 1,529,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN increased its stake in shares of Cognex by 0.9% during the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 4,768,716 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $151,264,000 after buying an additional 40,927 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Cognex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — revenue of ~$252M (+10% YoY), margin expansion and an EPS beat that exceeded consensus, driving the initial rally. Cognex Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management set Q1 FY2026 guidance above Street EPS expectations (EPS guide of $0.22–$0.26 vs. consensus ~$0.20) and gave a revenue range that sits near/above consensus — investors view this as confirmation the recovery is sustainable.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media upgrades and bullish coverage framed Cognex as a turnaround/AI-play in machine vision, adding momentum and drawing buyers looking for AI exposure. Cognex Q4 Earnings Review: Why The Stock Jumped Over 30% (Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting a move to a 52‑week high and the stock “bucking the bears” has likely amplified momentum traders and momentum-driven flows. This AI Stock Is Bucking the Bears and Rocketed 39% to a 52-Week High
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend (small yield ~0.8%), reinforcing shareholder-return posture.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some third‑party summaries showed differing EPS figures (a data discrepancy across providers). Investors should rely on the company release/slide deck for the official numbers. Cognex Corporation (CGNX) stock rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data in feeds looks inconsistent/garbled (values reported as zero/NaN) — unclear whether short‑covering materially contributed to the move.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent public filings and data show insiders have sold shares in the past months, which some investors view as a cautionary signal about near‑term conviction. Cognex Corporation (CGNX) stock rises on Q4 2025 Earnings

Cognex Company Profile

Cognex Corporation is a leading provider of machine vision systems, software, sensors and industrial barcode readers used to automate manufacturing, logistics and distribution processes. The company designs and develops vision-based products that help manufacturers and logistics operators inspect, identify and guide parts, assemblies and packaged goods in real time. Its solutions are applied in a broad range of industries, including automotive, electronics, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and general manufacturing.

The company’s product portfolio includes stand-alone vision systems, vision sensors and deep learning-based software platforms that enable automated inspection, quality control and traceability.