Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Price Target Raised to $80.00 at Needham & Company LLC

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) had its target price lifted by Needham & Company LLC from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on CGNX. Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 price objective on Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.85.

Cognex Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Cognex stock opened at $66.89 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $65.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.16. Cognex has a 12-month low of $34.60 and a 12-month high of $72.88. The company has a market cap of $11.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.94 and a beta of 1.49.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $291.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $292.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.25 earnings per share. Cognex’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, sell-side analysts predict that Cognex will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.01%.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In other Cognex news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $6,554,549.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,258 shares in the company, valued at $351,234.40. This represents a 94.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total value of $4,349,734.65. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,263 shares in the company, valued at $755,184.15. This trade represents a 85.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Cognex in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,158,123,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Cognex by 173,138.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 10,477,448 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $376,979,000 after purchasing an additional 10,471,400 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,013,184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $252,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,010 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,314,896 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $191,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258,629 shares during the period. Finally, Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN grew its holdings in shares of Cognex by 0.9% in the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 4,768,716 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $151,264,000 after purchasing an additional 40,927 shares during the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Cognex News

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.

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.