Cognex Corporation $CGNX Shares Sold by Engaged Capital LLC

Engaged Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) by 48.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 484,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 449,000 shares during the quarter. Cognex accounts for 7.8% of Engaged Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Engaged Capital LLC’s holdings in Cognex were worth $23,711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CGNX. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Cognex during the first quarter worth $36,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Cognex by 74.8% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Cognex by 402.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Cognex in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Cognex by 202.7% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $6,554,549.60. Following the sale, the vice president owned 5,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $351,234.40. This trade represents a 94.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total transaction of $4,349,734.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $755,184.15. The trade was a 85.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cognex Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of CGNX opened at $61.29 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.62. The stock has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.96 and a beta of 1.49. Cognex Corporation has a 12 month low of $33.45 and a 12 month high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last released 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 company had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 posted $0.14 EPS. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Cognex Corporation will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (up from $64.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Cognex presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.31.

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.