Hsbc Holdings PLC Takes Position in Cognex Corporation $CGNX

Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 41,622 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,982,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CGNX. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in Cognex by 0.5% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 39,853 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 6,793 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,073 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Cognex by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 22,907 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $824,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essential Partners LLC grew its holdings in Cognex by 12.5% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 2,153 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cognex Stock Performance

Cognex stock opened at $60.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a PE ratio of 58.70 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.46. Cognex Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $34.60 and a fifty-two week high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $291.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $292.10 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 16.05%.Cognex’s revenue was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. 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, analysts forecast that Cognex Corporation will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up from $75.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Monday, August 10th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Cognex from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.64.

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.