Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes Position in Cognex Corporation $CGNX

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 53,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,855,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CGNX. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Cognex in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 736 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex during the second quarter worth $32,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Cognex by 635.4% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares during the period. 88.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cognex Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:CGNX opened at $60.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.03 and a 200-day moving average of $59.83. Cognex Corporation has a 12 month low of $34.60 and a 12 month high of $72.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 59.02 and a beta of 1.49.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03. Cognex had a net margin of 16.05% and a return on equity of 13.50%. The business had revenue of $291.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $292.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts predict that Cognex Corporation will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were paid a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CGNX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, August 7th. HSBC lowered shares of Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Cognex from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up from $75.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cognex presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.64.

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.