Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09, FiscalAI reports. Cognex had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 9.02%. The company had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $245.98 million. Cognex updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 0.400-0.440 EPS.

Cognex Price Performance

Shares of CGNX traded up $3.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $62.26. The stock had a trading volume of 6,817,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,124,689. Cognex has a 1-year low of $27.82 and a 1-year high of $63.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.95. The company has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.93 and a beta of 1.48.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 26th were issued a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 26th. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on CGNX. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Cognex from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $55.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Cognex from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $10,338,066.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Angelos Papadimitriou sold 4,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.58, for a total transaction of $230,657.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,222 shares in the company, valued at $901,618.76. The trade was a 20.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 196,083 shares of company stock worth $11,419,321. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Cognex by 402.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Cognex by 74.8% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cognex during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Cognex during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Cognex during the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.