Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX) Shares Bought by Man Group plc

Man Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 27.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 82,910 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,758 shares during the period. Man Group plc's holdings in Cognex were worth $2,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Cognex in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Cognex by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 885 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Cognex by 129.9% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,007 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in 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. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Cognex by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company's stock.

Cognex Trading Up 3.2%

CGNX traded up $0.94 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $30.66. 657,610 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,574,387. The firm's fifty day moving average is $27.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.77. Cognex Co. has a 1-year low of $22.67 and a 1-year high of $53.13. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 50.27 and a beta of 1.45.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Cognex's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CGNX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cowen upgraded Cognex from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. HSBC downgraded Cognex from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $33.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen raised Cognex from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Cognex from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Cognex from $42.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.17.

Cognex Profile

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.