UBS Group AG Cuts Stake in Cognex Corporation $CGNX

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its Cognex stake by 39.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 531,967 shares and leaving it with 821,150 shares worth about $29.5 million.
• Cognex posted strong Q1 results, reporting EPS of $0.34 and revenue of $268.4 million, both ahead of estimates and revenue up 24.3% year over year.
• The company also issued bullish Q2 guidance of $0.40 to $0.44 EPS and $280 million to $300 million in revenue, while several analysts raised price targets to $75, though JPMorgan stayed Neutral.

UBS Group AG lowered its position in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) by 39.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 821,150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 531,967 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.49% of Cognex worth $29,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Cognex in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Cognex in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Cognex by 74.8% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Cognex in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Cognex by 402.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on CGNX. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cognex in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research downgraded Cognex from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Cognex from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.21.

Cognex News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cognex reported Q1 earnings of $0.34 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in at $268.4 million, also above expectations and up 24.3% year over year.
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued bullish Q2 guidance for EPS of $0.40 to $0.44 and revenue of $280 million to $300 million, signaling continued demand strength in automation and logistics.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the report: Needham raised its price target to $75 and kept a Buy rating, while Stephens also lifted its target to $75 with an Overweight rating.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s new AI-powered In-Sight systems and broad-based demand strength are reinforcing the view that Cognex can sustain growth and margin expansion.
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $65 but maintained a Neutral rating, suggesting some analysts still see limited upside after the recent run-up. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.085 per share, a modest positive for income-focused investors.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total transaction of $850,597.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,212 shares in the company, valued at $126,437.92. This represents a 87.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Angelos Papadimitriou sold 4,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.58, for a total value of $230,657.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,222 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $901,618.76. This represents a 20.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 196,083 shares of company stock worth $11,419,321 over the last quarter. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cognex Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Cognex stock opened at $65.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 78.17 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $52.67 and a 200 day moving average of $45.20. Cognex Corporation has a 52 week low of $29.00 and a 52 week high of $71.90.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cognex Corporation will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Cognex's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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