Cognex Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:CGNX)

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 16,442 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 981% compared to the typical volume of 1,521 call options.

Cognex Stock Performance

Shares of CGNX opened at $71.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.93 and a 200-day moving average of $51.83. The company has a market cap of $11.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.86 and a beta of 1.52. Cognex has a 1 year low of $31.77 and a 1 year high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last announced its earnings results 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. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.The firm had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. Analysts predict that Cognex will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Cognex’s payout ratio is presently 40.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CGNX. Truist Financial set a $61.00 price target on shares of Cognex and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Monday, May 11th. Stephens increased their price target on Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven 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 a consensus price target of $70.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total value of $1,343,517.68. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,696.60. This trade represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $755,184.15. The trade was a 85.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Cognex by 124.5% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 98,451 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,542,000 after acquiring an additional 54,600 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Cognex by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,101,583 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $292,224,000 after purchasing an additional 76,212 shares during the period. One Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cognex in the 4th quarter worth about $1,945,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in shares of Cognex by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 477,658 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $17,186,000 after buying an additional 76,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Cognex by 76.3% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 758,831 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,303,000 after acquiring an additional 328,427 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

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.