Cognex Corporation $CGNX Stake Raised by M&T Bank Corp

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp raised its Cognex stake by 58% in Q4 to 80,511 shares (worth about $2.9M), and institutions/hedge funds now own roughly 88.12% of the stock.
• Q1 beat and upbeat Q2 guidance: Cognex reported revenue of $268.4M (+24% y/y) and EPS of $0.34 (beat), and guided Q2 revenue of $280–$300M with adjusted EPS $0.40–$0.44; the board also declared a $0.085 quarterly dividend.
• Significant insider selling: Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares and insiders sold about 196,083 shares (~$11.4M) in the past three months, a potential caution despite the strong results.

M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 58.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,511 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after acquiring an additional 29,546 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Cognex were worth $2,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Cognex by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Cognex by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Cognex by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Cognex by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 54,349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,462,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Cognex by 74.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Cognex News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cognex reported a strong Q1: revenue ~$268M (+~24% y/y), adjusted EPS $0.34 (beat), material margin expansion (gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin materially higher), and operating leverage that boosted profitability — the core driver of the rally. Cognex shares jump on Q1 beat and upbeat Q2 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided upbeat Q2 guidance: revenue $280–$300M and adjusted EPS $0.40–$0.44, above consensus, implying continued sequential momentum and supporting re-rating. Cognex Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend ($0.085), a small signal of confidence in free cash flow and capital return to shareholders. Cognex shares jump on Q1 beat and upbeat Q2 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying (≈9,163 calls, ~652% above normal) indicates speculative or institutional bullish positioning that can amplify intraday upside. (Market options flow reported). Earnings Call Transcript / Flow
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target to $75 and moved to “overweight,” giving the stock additional analyst momentum and validation of the better outlook. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Public filings and the full earnings transcript/slide deck were released (useful for due diligence but not incremental news). Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets (Zacks, Yahoo, Kalkine) reported the beat and guidance — broad media coverage can support liquidity and attention but is secondary to the results. Zacks: Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling has occurred in recent months (multiple executive sales), which some investors view as a cautionary signal on timing despite the company’s strong results. Insider Trading Details
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional moves include a notable reduction by a major holder (Northwestern Mutual), which could increase supply pressure or reflect portfolio rebalancing. Monitor 13F/ownership updates for follow-through. Institutional Activity

Cognex Price Performance

Shares of CGNX stock opened at $66.13 on Friday. Cognex Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $28.56 and a fifty-two week high of $71.90. The stock's 50-day moving average is $52.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.20. The firm has a market cap of $11.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.72 and a beta of 1.48.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 13.62%.The company had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.14 EPS. The business's revenue 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, research analysts expect that Cognex Corporation will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Cognex's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $10,338,066.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total value of $850,597.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,212 shares in the company, valued at $126,437.92. The trade was a 87.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 196,083 shares of company stock valued at $11,419,321 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cognex from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price objective on Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on Cognex from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.71.

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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