Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.3077.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday, May 7th.

Cognex Price Performance

NASDAQ CGNX opened at $64.07 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $65.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.41. The company has a market capitalization of $10.66 billion, a PE ratio of 76.27 and a beta of 1.49. Cognex has a 1 year low of $33.45 and a 1 year high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.The company’s revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cognex will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.48%.

Insider Transactions at Cognex

In other news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was 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 directly owned 5,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $351,234.40. The trade was a 94.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 3,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,696.60. This represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cognex

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cognex by 74.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Miller Global Investments LLC acquired a new position in Cognex in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

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.