Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Director Robert Willett Sells 177,052 Shares

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Cognex Stock Performance

Shares of Cognex stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.79. 4,790,845 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,239,616. The firm has a market cap of $9.85 billion, a PE ratio of 87.75 and a beta of 1.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $39.03 and its 200 day moving average is $41.31. Cognex Corporation has a 1 year low of $22.67 and a 1 year high of $59.88.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $252.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.92 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 11.51%.Cognex’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.16 EPS. Research analysts expect that Cognex Corporation will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.13%.

Institutional Trading of Cognex

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Cognex by 13.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 200,351 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after buying an additional 23,326 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Cognex during the 1st quarter worth approximately $291,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cognex by 24.1% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 47,444 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,415,000 after purchasing an additional 9,223 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 58.8% during the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 33,641 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 12,461 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Cognex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: revenue of $252.3M (≈+9.9% y/y) and EPS that topped estimates; management raised Q1 EPS and gave revenue guidance above Street expectations — the core driver of today’s rally. Cognex Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights margin-focused portfolio optimization plus a shareholder-return push (dividend and buyback/upgrade messaging), which analysts and investors view as supportive of higher margins and multiple expansion. Why Cognex Is Up 48.6%
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Needham raised its price target (and carries a Buy), and other outlets reported upgrades and target bumps following the quarter — amplifying buying interest. Benzinga — analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Cash flow and balance-sheet strength were highlighted (operating cash jumped materially y/y; cash balances rose), giving the company flexibility to execute buybacks/dividends and sustain investment. QuiverQuant — Q4 summary and cash flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings-call transcripts and deep-dive coverage are available for investors who want management color on product mix, AI strategy and the margin plan; these provide detail but no new surprise beyond the release. Seeking Alpha — earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces (e.g., 15‑year return stories) surfaced, useful for context but unlikely to move short-term price. Benzinga — long-term performance
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Cognex disclosed rising AI-related regulatory and compliance risks that could increase costs, slow deployments or compress margins if global rules tighten — a longer-term headwind to watch. TipRanks — AI regulation risk
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity and mixed analyst views: recent insider sales were reported and some firms still carry cautious targets/ratings — these can temper enthusiasm if repeated or if growth disappoints vs. elevated expectations. QuiverQuant — insider & analyst notes

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on CGNX. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Cognex from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $35.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Cognex from $47.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.73.

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.