Cognex Corporation $CGNX Shares Acquired by California State Teachers Retirement System

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Cognex stake by 21.4% in the first quarter, adding 34,183 shares to own 193,978 shares valued at approximately $9.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 88.12% of the company.
• Cognex reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.34 versus the $0.25 consensus estimate and revenue up 24.3% year over year to $268.44 million. The company issued second-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $0.40–$0.44.
• Insiders sold approximately $15.0 million of Cognex shares over the past three months, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $72.31, compared with the stock’s reported $67.44 price.

California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 21.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 193,978 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,183 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.12% of Cognex worth $9,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cognex in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Cognex by 74.8% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Cognex by 402.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Cognex in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 202.7% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the period. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognex

In other Cognex news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total value of $6,554,549.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at $351,234.40. The trade was a 94.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Darren Marc Long sold 20,252 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.34, for a total value of $1,343,517.68. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,990 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $264,696.60. This trade represents a 83.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 224,847 shares of company stock worth $14,975,098 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Cognex Stock Performance

Shares of CGNX opened at $67.44 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a PE ratio of 80.29 and a beta of 1.49. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $64.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.47. Cognex Corporation has a twelve month low of $34.60 and a twelve month high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The company had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cognex Corporation will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Cognex's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $72.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Monday, July 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 target price on Cognex in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 price target on Cognex in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.31.

About Cognex

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.

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