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

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

Cognex Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of CGNX traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.71. 2,894,613 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,210,295. The company has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.18 and a beta of 1.49. Cognex has a 12-month low of $34.60 and a 12-month high of $72.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.69.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In other Cognex news, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total value of $1,343,517.68. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,990 shares in the company, valued at $264,696.60. The trade was a 83.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total transaction of $4,349,734.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $755,184.15. This represents a 85.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 224,847 shares of company stock valued at $14,975,098. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Cognex by 13.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 200,351 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $5,976,000 after buying an additional 23,326 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Cognex during the first quarter valued at about $291,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position 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 worth $1,415,000 after buying an additional 9,223 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Cognex by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 13,208 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CGNX has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cognex from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.