Needham & Company LLC Has Lowered Expectations for Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Stock Price

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) had its price target dropped by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $80.00 to $70.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 46.50% from the stock’s previous close.

CGNX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Cognex from $76.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 13th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Cognex and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.93.

Cognex Price Performance

CGNX stock opened at $47.78 on Friday. Cognex has a 1-year low of $34.60 and a 1-year high of $72.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.04. The firm has a market cap of $8.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41 and a beta of 1.49.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01. Cognex had a net margin of 21.50% and a return on equity of 15.75%. The company had revenue of $313.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Cognex will post 1.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cognex

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CGNX. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Cognex in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Cognex by 81.3% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 446 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Cognex during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Cognex during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Cognex by 635.4% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 478 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Cognex News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cognex reported record Q3 results, with earnings of $0.53 per share beating estimates and revenue growing year over year. Management raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $1.14 billion–$1.16 billion and cited margin expansion and stronger logistics demand. Q3 earnings call outlook and margin expansion
• Positive Sentiment: The planned RealSense acquisition could add growth opportunities, while management is targeting further margin expansion. Cognex reports record third-quarter results and RealSense acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 5.9% to $0.09 per share, a modest signal of confidence in cash generation.
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut their price targets: Stephens lowered its target to $70, KeyCorp to $65, Needham to $70, and Truist to $57. The cuts may temper enthusiasm despite the improved outlook; ratings remain mostly overweight or buy, while Truist is at hold. Stephens price-target change

Cognex Company Profile