Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Price Target Raised to $75.00 at Needham & Company LLC

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) had its price target lifted by Needham & Company LLC from $67.00 to $75.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on CGNX. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Cognex from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Cognex from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.21.

Cognex Price Performance

Shares of CGNX opened at $65.66 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 78.17 and a beta of 1.48. The company’s 50-day moving average is $52.67 and its 200-day moving average is $45.20. Cognex has a fifty-two week low of $29.00 and a fifty-two week high of $71.90.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a net margin of 13.62% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The company had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. Analysts predict that Cognex will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cognex

In other Cognex news, Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $10,338,066.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total transaction of $850,597.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,437.92. The trade was a 87.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 196,083 shares of company stock valued at $11,419,321 in the last ninety days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CGNX. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 173,138.2% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 10,477,448 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $376,979,000 after purchasing an additional 10,471,400 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,103,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $68,388,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 18,810.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,794,649 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $56,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,785,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,013,184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $252,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,010 shares in the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Cognex News

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.

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.