Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX - Free Report) - Research analysts at KeyCorp lifted their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Cognex in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 7th. KeyCorp analyst K. Newman now expects that the scientific and technical instruments company will post earnings per share of $0.42 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.25. KeyCorp has a "Overweight" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Cognex's current full-year earnings is $1.12 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Cognex's Q3 2026 earnings at $0.37 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.33 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.46 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.41 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.46 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.73 EPS.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $245.98 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. 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.
A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CGNX. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Cognex in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.36.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on CGNX
Cognex Price Performance
Shares of CGNX opened at $66.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.68 and a beta of 1.48. Cognex has a 1 year low of $29.00 and a 1 year high of $71.90. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $53.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.84.
Institutional Trading of Cognex
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Cognex during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cognex during the third quarter worth $27,000. 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 purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, insider Mark Fennell sold 64,873 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.05, for a total transaction of $4,349,734.65. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $755,184.15. This represents a 85.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Angelos Papadimitriou sold 4,150 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,222 shares in the company, valued at $901,618.76. This represents a 20.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 208,745 shares of company stock worth $13,862,237 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.
Cognex Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed 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 payout ratio is 40.48%.
Trending Headlines about Cognex
Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:
- Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp boosted Cognex earnings estimates across near-term and long-term periods, including higher FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts, signaling stronger expected profitability. KeyCorp estimate updates for Cognex
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintained an Overweight rating and a $70 target, reinforcing a bullish outlook that can support investor sentiment. KeyCorp rating and target for Cognex
- Positive Sentiment: Cognex’s recent earnings beat and raised guidance continue to back the stock’s move higher, with revenue up sharply year over year. Cognex latest earnings results
- Positive Sentiment: New product momentum also helps sentiment, including the launch of the In-Sight 3900 embedded AI vision system and broader adoption of OneVision AI vision tools. Cognex In-Sight 3900 launch
- Neutral Sentiment: Cognex also announced it will present at an upcoming TD Cowen conference, which is a routine investor-relations event rather than a direct operating update. Cognex conference presentation announcement
- Neutral Sentiment: A reported insider sale may draw attention, but it is not clearly significant enough on its own to outweigh the company’s positive fundamentals and analyst upgrades. Cognex insider sale report
About Cognex
(
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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.
Further Reading
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