Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Price Target Raised to $65.00

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) had its price target boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial set a $61.00 price objective on shares of Cognex and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.21.

Cognex Price Performance

Cognex stock opened at $65.66 on Friday. Cognex has a 52-week low of $29.00 and a 52-week high of $71.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $52.67 and a 200-day moving average of $45.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.17 and a beta of 1.48.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The company had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cognex will post 0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.48%.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, 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 directly owned 16,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $901,618.76. This trade represents a 20.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $10,338,066.28. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 196,083 shares of company stock valued at $11,419,321. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CGNX. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Cognex by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 200,351 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after acquiring an additional 23,326 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Cognex during the 1st quarter valued at $291,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Cognex by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 47,444 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after acquiring an additional 9,223 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Cognex by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 13,208 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Cognex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cognex reported Q1 earnings of $0.34 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $268.4 million, also above expectations and up 24.3% year over year.
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued bullish Q2 guidance for EPS of $0.40 to $0.44 and revenue of $280 million to $300 million, signaling continued demand strength in automation and logistics.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the report: Needham raised its price target to $75 and kept a Buy rating, while Stephens also lifted its target to $75 with an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new AI-powered In-Sight systems and broad-based demand strength are reinforcing the view that Cognex can sustain growth and margin expansion.
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $65 but maintained a Neutral rating, suggesting some analysts still see limited upside after the recent run-up. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.085 per share, a modest positive for income-focused investors.

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.