Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) VP Sells $2,727,296.00 in Stock

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 41,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.56, for a total value of $2,727,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,258 shares in the company, valued at $344,714.48. This represents a 88.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Laura Ann Macdonald also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, May 11th, Laura Ann Macdonald sold 98,122 shares of Cognex stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.80, for a total value of $6,554,549.60.
• On Thursday, February 12th, Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of Cognex stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total value of $850,597.96.

Cognex Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:CGNX traded down $1.58 on Tuesday, hitting $65.68. The company had a trading volume of 2,359,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,228,531. Cognex Corporation has a 52-week low of $29.00 and a 52-week high of $71.90. The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.08 and a 200 day moving average of $45.47. The company has a market cap of $10.93 billion, a PE ratio of 78.19 and a beta of 1.48.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. The business’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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cognex Corporation will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.085 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is 40.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CGNX shares. Robert W. Baird set a $72.00 target price on Cognex in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cognex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Cognex during the third quarter worth about $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cognex during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Cognex by 402.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Cognex by 74.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 764 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cognex during the first quarter worth about $36,000. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cognex

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.