Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.7333.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Cognex from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $61.00 target price (up previously from $54.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday.

Cognex Stock Performance

Shares of CGNX opened at $55.94 on Friday. Cognex has a one year low of $22.67 and a one year high of $59.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $40.98 and its 200-day moving average is $42.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.49 and a beta of 1.53.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.05. Cognex had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 9.02%. The company had revenue of $252.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Cognex will post 0.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be given a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Cognex’s payout ratio is 50.75%.

Key Headlines Impacting Cognex

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports rising earnings estimates for Cognex, signaling upward analyst revisions that can support further gains if the trend continues. Earnings Estimates Rising for Cognex (CGNX): Will It Gain?
• Positive Sentiment: An American Banking News write-up cites a Goldman Sachs analyst expecting CGNX shares to rise, which is supportive for sentiment and can influence institutional buying. Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, The Goldman Sachs Group Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded Cognex, a direct positive catalyst for demand and analyst sentiment. HSBC upgrades Cognex (CGNX)
• Positive Sentiment: Cognex announced management will present at the Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference (March 2), increasing investor access and the chance to refresh guidance/visibility. Cognex Announces Participation at the Raymond James 47th Annual Institutional Investors Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcripts from Cognex presentations at Citi’s and Barclays’ industrial conferences were posted — useful for detail on strategy and demand but contain no single market‑moving surprise in the excerpts. Cognex Corporation (CGNX) Presents at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech & Mobility Conference 2026 Transcript Cognex Corporation (CGNX) Presents at Barclays 43rd Annual Industrial Select Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Benzinga and other analyst‑summary pieces review expectations and top analyst questions from the Q4 call — useful context but no new consensus change reported that would by itself drive a large move. 4CGNX : Analyst Expectations For Cognex’s Future The top 5 analyst questions from Cognex’s Q4 earnings call
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data posted for February is internally inconsistent (shows a jump but reports zero shares and NaN). This appears to be a data anomaly and is unlikely to explain today’s move.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $10,338,066.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total value of $850,597.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,437.92. This trade represents a 87.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cognex

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cognex by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 22,907 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $824,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Cognex by 12.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Cognex by 1.8% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cognex by 10.6% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Cognex by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by 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.