Key Points
- Cognex VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares on May 12 at an average price of $65.56, worth about $2.73 million. After the sale, she directly owned 5,258 shares, an 88.78% reduction in her stake.
- The company posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $0.34 versus estimates of $0.25 and revenue of $268.44 million versus expectations of $245.98 million. Revenue rose 24.3% year over year, and Cognex also issued Q2 2026 EPS guidance of $0.40 to $0.44.
- Cognex announced a quarterly dividend and remains well covered by analysts. The company will pay $0.085 per share on June 4, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $68.86 price target.
Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.56, for a total transaction of $2,727,296.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 5,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at $344,714.48. The trade was a 88.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
Laura Ann Macdonald also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Monday, May 11th, Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of Cognex stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $6,554,549.60.
- On Thursday, February 12th, Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of Cognex stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total transaction of $850,597.96.
Cognex Trading Down 2.3%
Shares of NASDAQ:CGNX opened at $65.68 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $53.30 and a 200-day moving average of $45.60. The firm has a market cap of $10.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.19 and a beta of 1.48. Cognex Corporation has a twelve month low of $29.00 and a twelve month high of $71.90.
Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.98 million. Cognex had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Cognex Corporation will post 1 EPS for the current year.
Cognex Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Cognex's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.48%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CGNX shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Cognex from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cognex from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.86.
View Our Latest Analysis on CGNX
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Cognex by 173,138.2% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 10,477,448 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $376,979,000 after buying an additional 10,471,400 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,103,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $68,388,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Cognex by 18,810.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,794,649 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $56,657,000 after buying an additional 1,785,159 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Cognex by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,013,184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $252,360,000 after buying an additional 1,529,010 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company's stock.
About Cognex
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

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