Cognex Corporation $CGNX Stake Lowered by Engaged Capital LLC

Key Points

• Engaged Capital cut its Cognex stake by 48.1% in the first quarter, selling 449,000 shares and retaining 484,000 shares worth approximately $23.7 million. Cognex remains the fund’s fifth-largest holding and represents 7.8% of its portfolio.
• Cognex reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.34 versus the $0.25 consensus estimate and revenue of $268.44 million, up 24.3% year over year. The company guided for second-quarter 2026 EPS of $0.40–$0.44.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $72.31 price target. Cognex also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.085, equivalent to a 0.6% annual yield.

Engaged Capital LLC cut its stake in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 48.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 484,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 449,000 shares during the quarter. Cognex makes up 7.8% of Engaged Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Engaged Capital LLC owned 0.29% of Cognex worth $23,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cognex in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 402.2% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cognex by 202.7% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,105 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cognex news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total transaction of $6,554,549.60. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total transaction of $4,349,734.65. Following the sale, the insider owned 11,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $755,184.15. This trade represents a 85.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 224,847 shares of company stock worth $14,975,098 in the last quarter. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on CGNX. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $72.00 price objective (up from $68.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cognex from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Seaport Research Partners set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.31.

Cognex Stock Performance

CGNX opened at $61.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.96 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $64.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.62. Cognex Corporation has a twelve month low of $33.45 and a twelve month high of $72.88.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.The company had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cognex Corporation will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Cognex's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.48%.

Cognex Company Profile

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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