Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock Holdings Decreased by Alpine Peaks Capital LP

Alpine Peaks Capital LP decreased its holdings in Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 19.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 198,219 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 49,335 shares during the period. Cognex comprises approximately 5.8% of Alpine Peaks Capital LP's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Alpine Peaks Capital LP owned approximately 0.12% of Cognex worth $7,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Cognex during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Cognex by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 885 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Cognex in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Cognex by 129.9% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,007 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Cognex by 50.2% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,047 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.12% of the company's stock.

Cognex Trading Down 0.1 %

CGNX traded down $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $26.90. 923,688 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,226,221. The company has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.11 and a beta of 1.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.26. Cognex Co. has a twelve month low of $22.67 and a twelve month high of $53.13.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.01). Cognex had a return on equity of 5.65% and a net margin of 11.61%. Equities analysts expect that Cognex Co. will post 0.61 EPS for the current year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. Cognex's payout ratio is 52.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CGNX. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Cognex from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Cognex from $37.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Cognex from $47.00 to $41.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Hsbc Global Res cut Cognex from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.23.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, EVP Carl Gerst sold 6,803 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.73, for a total transaction of $222,662.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,566 shares in the company, valued at $149,445.18. This trade represents a 59.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

About Cognex

Cognex Corporation provides machine vision products that capture and analyze visual information to automate manufacturing and distribution tasks worldwide. Its machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing and tracking of discrete items, including mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, and e-commerce packages by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them during the manufacturing or distribution process.