Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. Cognex had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 10.89%. Cognex updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.640-1.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.500-0.540 EPS.

Cognex Price Performance

NASDAQ CGNX traded down $0.81 on Wednesday, hitting $70.71. 2,894,613 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,210,295. The firm has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.18 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $64.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.69. Cognex has a fifty-two week low of $34.60 and a fifty-two week high of $72.88.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.56, for a total transaction of $2,727,296.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,696.60. The trade was a 83.54% 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 worth $14,975,098 over the last three months. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cognex

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CGNX. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Cognex by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,697 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,168 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cognex by 1,832.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,457 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 9,916 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 1st quarter worth approximately $291,000. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $285,000. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price objective (up from $64.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Stephens upped their price target on Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $72.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cognex presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.