Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.500-0.540 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.370. The company issued revenue guidance of $300.0 million-$320.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $279.2 million. Cognex also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.640-1.680 EPS.

Cognex Price Performance

Cognex stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $67.31. The company had a trading volume of 978,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,213,192. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.09. Cognex has a 1 year low of $34.60 and a 1 year high of $72.88. The company has a market capitalization of $11.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.41 and a beta of 1.49.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $291.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $292.10 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 16.05%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. Cognex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.540 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cognex will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given 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 is Thursday, August 20th. Cognex’s payout ratio is presently 40.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CGNX shares. DA Davidson set a $62.00 price target on Cognex and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cognex news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total value of $6,554,549.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $351,234.40. This trade represents a 94.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total transaction of $1,343,517.68. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,990 shares in the company, valued at $264,696.60. This represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 224,847 shares of company stock worth $14,975,098 in the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Cognex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and outlook: Second-quarter EPS was $0.45, above the $0.42 consensus and up from $0.25 a year ago. Revenue rose 16.9% year over year to approximately $291 million, while net income increased 78% to $72.8 million. Cognex Corporation Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance exceeded expectations: Cognex forecast third-quarter revenue of $300 million to $320 million and EPS of $0.50 to $0.54, well above consensus estimates of $279.2 million and $0.37, respectively. Full-year EPS guidance was raised to $1.64-$1.68, versus the prior consensus of $1.48. Cognex Q2 Earnings Beat on Margin Gains Despite Revenue Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Growth catalysts and analyst support: Management highlighted AI-enabled machine vision, data-center demand, customer expansion and improving margins. Cantor Fitzgerald, Needham and Truist raised their price targets to $84, $80 and $78, respectively; Cantor and Needham maintained bullish ratings. Cognex Q2 Earnings Call Centers on AI and Data Center Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Cognex declared a quarterly dividend of $0.085 per share, payable September 3 to shareholders of record on August 20. The approximately 0.5% yield is modest but reinforces shareholder returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue narrowly missed the roughly $292.1 million consensus estimate, and CGNX trades at an elevated trailing P/E of about 65. Recent disclosures also showed insider sales without reported purchases, which may weigh on sentiment.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cognex

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cognex by 402.2% during the first 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 in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cognex by 74.8% in the third 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 position in shares of Cognex in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Cognex in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Cognex in the third quarter valued at about $52,000. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cognex

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.