Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Cognex Corporation shares reached a new 52-week high of $47.81, reflecting a significant trading volume of 129,974 shares.
• Research analysts have provided a mix of ratings, with targets ranging from $40.00 to $55.00, indicating a generally positive outlook on the company's stock.
• Cognex recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, representing a 0.7% dividend yield for investors.

Shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $47.81 and last traded at $47.40, with a volume of 129974 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Cognex in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company. Barclays set a $55.00 target price on Cognex and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. KeyCorp upgraded Cognex from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Cognex from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Cognex in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.93.

Cognex Stock Up 3.0%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.51. The stock has a market cap of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.73 and a beta of 1.50.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.02. Cognex had a return on equity of 6.65% and a net margin of 13.13%.The firm had revenue of $249.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $246.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognex has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 0.240-0.290 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cognex Corporation will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th were given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Cognex's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.07%.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In other news, EVP Sheila Marie Dipalma sold 2,002 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $90,090.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,582 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $386,190. This represents a 18.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CGNX. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Cognex by 439.4% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 971 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 155.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 26.9% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 32,316 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $964,000 after purchasing an additional 6,847 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 31.6% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 275,103 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $8,206,000 after purchasing an additional 66,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 115.0% in the 1st quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 52,336 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 27,992 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.