Gradient Investments LLC Takes Position in Cognex Corporation $CGNX

Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 13,973 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,012,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Cognex by 13.2% in 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 buying an additional 23,326 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Cognex during the 1st quarter worth approximately $291,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cognex by 24.1% during the first 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. raised its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Cognex by 7.5% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In other news, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total value of $1,343,517.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,696.60. This represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.56, for a total transaction of $2,727,296.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $344,714.48. The trade was a 88.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cognex

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings and raised guidance: Cognex reported adjusted EPS of $0.45, exceeding the $0.42 consensus and rising from $0.25 a year ago. Revenue reached a record $291 million, up 16.9% year over year, while margin improvement, favorable product mix and cost controls boosted profitability. The company raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $1.64–$1.68, versus the $1.48 consensus, and projected third-quarter EPS of $0.50–$0.54. Cognex Q2 Earnings Beat on Margin Gains Despite Revenue Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Growth opportunities are broadening: Management highlighted AI-enabled machine vision, data-center expansion and increasing business with existing customers as growth drivers. Investors are also encouraged by strength across most major end markets and improving margins. Cognex Q2 Earnings Call Centers on AI and Data Center Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets moved higher: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $84 and assigned an overweight rating, Needham lifted its target to $80 with a buy rating, and Truist increased its target to $78 while maintaining a hold rating. The revisions signal greater confidence in Cognex’s earnings trajectory. Analyst price-target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue modestly missed estimates: Quarterly revenue of approximately $291 million was slightly below the $292.1 million consensus, but the shortfall was offset by stronger margins and earnings. Cognex misses Q2 revenue estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may temper enthusiasm: Recent disclosures indicate company insiders made 16 sales and no purchases over the past six months. This does not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals, but it can add a valuation-related overhang.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.85.

Cognex Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CGNX opened at $66.89 on Monday. Cognex Corporation has a one year low of $34.60 and a one year high of $72.88. The stock has a market cap of $11.25 billion, a PE ratio of 64.94 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $65.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.27.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.03. Cognex had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 16.05%.The company had revenue of $291.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $292.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.540 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Cognex Corporation will post 1.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Cognex’s payout ratio is presently 33.01%.

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.