Cognex (CGNX) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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. Cognex’s DataMan line of handheld and fixed-mount barcode readers is widely used for 1D and 2D code reading in compliance with global track-and-trace standards. Its In-Sight and VisionPro platforms offer configurable and programmable vision tools that can be customized to address tasks such as defect detection, measurement, text verification and robot guidance.

Cognex serves a global customer base through a network of direct sales offices and channel partners in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Its solutions are integral to production lines in major automotive assembly plants, semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities and pharmaceutical packaging operations, as well as in warehouse and distribution centers worldwide. By combining advanced optics, illumination techniques and proprietary image processing algorithms, the company helps customers reduce defects, improve throughput and lower operating costs.

Founded in 1981 by Robert J. Shillman and headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex has built a reputation for innovation in the machine vision industry. The company invests heavily in research and development to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies such as deep learning and 3D vision. Over its history, Cognex has expanded both organically and through strategic acquisitions to broaden its product offerings and strengthen its global reach.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $64.31 to $71.90
• 50-Day Range: $45.94 to $62.26
• 52-Week Range: $28.56 to $71.90
• Volume: 5.36 million shs
• Average Volume: 2.16 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $11.16 billion
• P/E Ratio: 99.71
• Dividend Yield: 0.51%
• Price Target: $61.71
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Cognex Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Cognex scored higher than 75% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 260th out of 626 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: 2.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Cognex has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.65, and is based on 1 strong buy rating, 9 buy ratings, 7 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Downside Risk

Cognex has a consensus price target of $60.69, representing about 12.7% downside from its current price of $69.53.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Cognex has been the subject of 13 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 25.77%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Cognex are expected to grow by 25.77% in the coming year, from $0.97 to $1.22 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Cognex is 104.02, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.50.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Cognex is 104.02, 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 74.16.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Cognex has a P/B Ratio of 7.81. 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

2.99% 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 2.98, 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 6.43%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Cognex has a dividend yield of 0.58%, 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 50.75%. 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 27.87% next year. This indicates that Cognex will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.6 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.69

News Sentiment

Cognex has a news sentiment score of 0.69. 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 is a higher news sentiment than the 0.57 average news sentiment score of Computer and Technology companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 25 news articles for Cognex this week, compared to 6 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 10 people have searched for CGNX on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -29% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

27 people have added Cognex to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 2,600% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Cognex insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $11,419,321.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

1.70% 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 $35.98 at the start of the year. Since then, CGNX shares have increased by 93.2% and is now trading at $69.5270.

How were Cognex's earnings last quarter?

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February, 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.05. The firm's revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

When did Cognex's stock split?

Shares of Cognex split before market open on 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 market closes 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?

The following companies are subsidiaries of Cognex: ViDi Systems, Webscan Inc, *CHIARO TECHNOLOGIES, Enshape, AQSENSE, AssistWare Technology, Cognex Distribution, and more.

Who are Cognex's major shareholders?

Top institutional investors of Cognex include Pictet Asset Management Holding SA (4.00%), Bank of New York Mellon Corp (1.12%), Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. (0.84%) and Copeland Capital Management LLC (0.83%). Insiders that own company stock include Anthony Sun, Angelos Papadimitriou, Dianne M Parrotte, Sheila Marie Dipalma, Dennis Fehr, Carl Gerst, Laura Ann Macdonald, Robert Willett 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), AUO (AUOTY), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH) and The RMR Group (RMR).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 2/11/2026
• Record date for 3/12 Dividend: 2/26/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 3/12 Dividend: 2/26/2026
• Dividend Payable: 3/12/2026
• Today: 5/07/2026
• Record date for 6/4 Dividend: 5/21/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 6/4 Dividend: 5/21/2026
• Dividend Payable: 6/04/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2026

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: 2,745
• Year Founded: 1981

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Cognex: $60.69
• High Price Target: $75.00
• Low Price Target: $37.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: -9.0%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.67
• Research Coverage: 18 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $0.67
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 99.80
• Forward P/E Ratio: 68.76
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $114.44 million
• Net Margins: 11.51%
• Pretax Margin: 18.38%
• Return on Equity: 9.02%
• Return on Assets: 6.72%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 3.80
• Quick Ratio: 3.05

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $994.36 million
• Price / Sales: 11.20
• Cash Flow: $1.11 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 60.20
• Book Value: $8.90 per share
• Price / Book: 7.49

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 167,010,000
• Free Float: 164,175,000
• Market Cap: $11.14 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.48