Cognex (CGNX) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) is a leading provider of machine vision systems, software, sensors and industrial barcode readers used in manufacturing automation. Since its founding in 1981 by Dr. Robert J. Shillman and his colleagues, the company has focused on enabling automated inspection and identification in production environments. Cognex’s vision products capture and analyze visual information to guide, monitor and control manufacturing processes, ensuring product quality and operational efficiency.

The company’s flagship offerings include In-Sight™ vision systems, which integrate powerful vision tools into compact, easy-to-use packages for factory-floor use, and VisionPro® software, which provides a flexible programming environment for advanced image analysis. In addition, Cognex’s DataMan® series of barcode readers deliver high-speed, reliable decoding for 1D and 2D codes on moving production lines. These solutions are designed to address a wide range of applications, from precision part inspection in automotive assembly to traceability in electronics and logistics.

Cognex serves a global customer base across automotive, electronics, life sciences, consumer products and logistics sectors, with offices and distribution partners spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia. Its systems are employed in high-volume manufacturing facilities around the world, where downtime is costly and quality standards are stringent. The company continually invests in research and development to advance deep learning capabilities and expand the flexibility of its vision tools for new industrial challenges.

Leadership at Cognex combines deep industry expertise with technical innovation. Dr. Shillman remains actively involved as Chairman, while Deepak Sekar, who joined the company in 2009, has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Under their guidance, Cognex has grown from a pioneering start-up into a publicly traded corporation with a strong reputation for reliability, accuracy and performance in automated visual inspection and identification technologies.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $33.48 to $34.40
• 50-Day Range: $29.61 to $34.74
• 52-Week Range: $22.67 to $51.78
• Volume: 1.98 million shs
• Average Volume: 1.66 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $5.72 billion
• P/E Ratio: 50.10
• Dividend Yield: 0.94%
• Price Target: $41.62
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Cognex Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Cognex scored higher than 94% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 55th out of 666 stocks in the computer and technology sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Cognex has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.53, and is based on 7 buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Cognex has been the subject of 9 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 42.62%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Cognex are expected to grow by 42.62% in the coming year, from $0.61 to $0.87 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Cognex is 50.10, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.51.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Cognex is 50.10, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Computer and Technology sector average P/E ratio of about 33.59.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Cognex has a P/B Ratio of 3.82. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

3.44% of the float of Cognex has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Cognex has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Cognex has recently increased by 2.67%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

Dividend

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Cognex has a dividend yield of 0.96%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Cognex has been increasing its dividend for 10 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Cognex is 47.06%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Cognex will have a dividend payout ratio of 36.78% next year. This indicates that Cognex will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Environmental Score: -2.12

Percentage of Shares Shorted

3.44% of the float of Cognex has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Cognex has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Cognex has recently increased by 2.67%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.89

News Sentiment

Cognex has a news sentiment score of 0.89. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This news sentiment score is similar to the average news sentiment of Computer and Technology companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 16 news articles for Cognex this week, compared to 10 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

7 people have searched for CGNX on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 600% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

13 people have added Cognex to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 550% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Cognex insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 1.60% of the stock of Cognex is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

88.12% of the stock of Cognex is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

CGNX Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have CGNX shares performed this year?

Cognex's stock was trading at $35.86 at the beginning of 2025. Since then, CGNX stock has decreased by 5.0% and is now trading at $34.07.

How were Cognex's earnings last quarter?

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February, 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.01. Cognex had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.37% and a net margin of 12.80%.
Read the conference call transcript.

When did Cognex's stock split?

Cognex shares split on the morning of Monday, December 4th 2017.The 2-1 split was announced on Monday, October 30th 2017. The newly issued shares were payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Friday, December 1st 2017. An investor that had 100 shares of stock prior to the split would have 200 shares after the split.

Does Cognex have any subsidiaries?

Cognex subsidiaries include ViDi Systems, Webscan Inc, *CHIARO TECHNOLOGIES, Enshape, AQSENSE, AssistWare Technology, Cognex Distribution, and others.

Who are Cognex's major shareholders?

Cognex's top institutional investors include Swedbank AB (0.89%), Riverbridge Partners LLC (0.65%), Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.32%) and Exchange Traded Concepts LLC (0.30%). Insiders that own company stock include Theodor Krantz, Anthony Sun, Dianne M Parrotte, Dennis Fehr, Carl Gerst, Patrick Alias and Joerg Kuechen.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Cognex?

Shares of CGNX stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Cognex own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Cognex investors own include Humana (HUM), American Water Works (AWK), Waste Connections (WCN), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), AU Optronics (AUOTY), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH) and The RMR Group (RMR).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 2/12/2025
• Record date for 5/29 Dividend: 5/15/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 5/29 Dividend: 5/15/2025
• Dividend Payable: 5/29/2025
• Today: 7/18/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 7/30/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Computer and Technology
• Industry: ELEC TEST EQUIPTMENT
• Sub-Industry: Electronic Equipment & Instruments
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:CGNX
• CIK: 851205
• Web: www.cognex.com
• Phone: (508) 650-3000
• Fax: 508-650-3333
• Employees: 2,914
• Year Founded: 1981

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Cognex: $41.62
• High Price Target: $60.00
• Low Price Target: $29.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +23.1%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.53
• Research Coverage: 15 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $0.68
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 49.72
• Forward P/E Ratio: 55.43
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $106.17 million
• Net Margins: 12.80%
• Pretax Margin: 15.41%
• Return on Equity: 6.37%
• Return on Assets: 4.81%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 3.14
• Quick Ratio: 2.31

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $914.52 million
• Price / Sales: 6.21
• Cash Flow: $0.71 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 47.63
• Book Value: $8.93 per share
• Price / Book: 3.79

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 167,870,000
• Free Float: 165,179,000
• Market Cap: $5.68 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.47