Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 15,411 Shares of Cognex Corporation $CGNX

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) by 1.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,471,027 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 15,411 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Cognex were worth $72,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CGNX. Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cognex during the first quarter valued at approximately $5,401,000. Family Manage LLC bought a new position in Cognex in the first quarter worth approximately $257,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cognex during the 1st quarter worth $218,000. Weiss Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP now owns 73,465 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $3,599,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Cognex by 22.1% during the 1st quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 71,232 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,490,000 after acquiring an additional 12,901 shares during the period. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cognex Price Performance

CGNX opened at $61.29 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.96 and a beta of 1.49. Cognex Corporation has a 1-year low of $33.45 and a 1-year high of $72.88.

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

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognex

In other news, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total value of $4,349,734.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 11,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $755,184.15. This represents a 85.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.56, for a total value of $2,727,296.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 5,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $344,714.48. This represents a 88.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098 over the last ninety days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on Cognex in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 price objective on Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.31.

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.