Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Cognex shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching $65.68 before closing at $64.37, compared with the $61.00 long-term average.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.21; recent targets range from $74 to $84.
• Cognex reported quarterly EPS of $0.45, exceeding estimates by $0.03, while revenue rose 16.9% year over year to $291.26 million. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.085 per share, or a 0.5% annual yield.

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $61.00 and traded as high as $65.68. Cognex shares last traded at $64.37, with a volume of 2,282,691 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CGNX shares. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Cognex from $76.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cognex from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cognex from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Cognex and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cognex presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.21.

Cognex Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $62.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.00. The stock has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.50 and a beta of 1.48.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.03. Cognex had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 16.05%.The company had revenue of $291.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. Cognex has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.640-1.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.540 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cognex Corporation will post 1.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th were paid a dividend of $0.0850 per share. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. Cognex's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.01%.

Institutional Trading of Cognex

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Robinhood Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cognex in the second quarter valued at $16,461,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Cognex by 210.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 58,932 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 39,937 shares during the period. Granite Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Cognex during the first quarter worth $7,202,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Cognex by 51.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 731,149 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $35,819,000 after buying an additional 249,877 shares during the period. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cognex in the 2nd quarter valued at $918,000. 88.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Cognex

Cognex Corporation NASDAQ: CGNX develops machine vision products and technologies that help businesses automate manufacturing, logistics and other industrial processes. Its systems enable machines to inspect, identify, measure and guide products, components and materials with limited human intervention.

The company's product portfolio includes industrial vision cameras, vision sensors, image-based barcode readers, three-dimensional vision systems and software for image processing and analysis.

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