Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Issues Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) issued an update on its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.400-0.440 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.300. The company issued revenue guidance of $280.0 million-$300.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $269.3 million.

Cognex Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CGNX traded up $7.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $69.63. The stock had a trading volume of 1,325,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,106,494. Cognex has a 12 month low of $28.56 and a 12 month high of $69.84. The company has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a PE ratio of 105.99 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $52.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.06.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.05. Cognex had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 9.02%. The firm had revenue of $252.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Cognex will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 presently 50.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CGNX shares. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cognex from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. KeyCorp restated 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. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cognex from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was 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 directly 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 196,083 shares of company stock worth $11,419,321 over the last quarter. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Cognex

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Cognex reported EPS of $0.34 vs. consensus ~$0.25 and revenue of $268.4M, +24% YoY, signaling healthy demand and margin leverage. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised Q2 2026 guidance: EPS $0.40–$0.44 vs. street ~$0.30 and revenue guidance $280M–$300M vs. consensus ~$269M — a clear upward revision that supports near-term earnings revisions and multiple expansion. PR Newswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market coverage highlight the beat and momentum — coverage notes Cognex is helping drive Nasdaq tech momentum, reinforcing positive investor attention. Cognex Surge Drives Nasdaq Composite Momentum In Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Product/strategy upgrade — Cognex launched a high-performance embedded AI vision system powered by Qualcomm, which could expand addressable market in edge AI vision applications and support longer-term revenue growth. Product Launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared — Cognex announced a quarterly dividend of $0.085/share (ex-div May 21, payable Jun 4), a modest yield (~0.5%) that signals cash return to shareholders but is small relative to growth profile.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on valuation and momentum — several pieces assess valuation after the recent run-up; investors should weigh strong growth and raised guidance against a rich P/E and prior appreciation. Assessing Cognex Valuation

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 402.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 74.8% in 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 buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cognex in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cognex in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Cognex in the third quarter worth about $52,000. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional 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.