Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.500-0.540 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.370. The company issued revenue guidance of $300.0 million-$320.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $279.2 million. Cognex also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.640-1.680 EPS.

Cognex Price Performance

NASDAQ CGNX traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.71. The stock had a trading volume of 2,867,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,209,756. The stock has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a PE ratio of 84.18 and a beta of 1.49. Cognex has a 1 year low of $34.60 and a 1 year high of $72.88. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $64.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.69.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.Cognex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.540 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cognex will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CGNX shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group set a $75.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Cognex and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognex

In other news, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total transaction of $1,343,517.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $264,696.60. This represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,258 shares in the company, valued at $351,234.40. This trade represents a 94.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cognex

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CGNX. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cognex by 402.2% during 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 buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cognex by 74.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Cognex in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cognex during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Cognex during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

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.