UBS Group AG Trims Stock Holdings in Cognex Corporation $CGNX

UBS Group AG trimmed its position in Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) by 39.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 821,150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after selling 531,967 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Cognex were worth $29,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Cognex by 12.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,132 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in Cognex by 1.8% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 14,611 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Cognex by 0.6% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 49,651 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Cognex by 0.5% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 54,349 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cognex Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ CGNX opened at $65.66 on Friday. Cognex Corporation has a 12 month low of $29.00 and a 12 month high of $71.90. The stock has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.17 and a beta of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $52.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.20.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. Cognex had a return on equity of 10.89% and a net margin of 13.62%.The firm had revenue of $268.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $245.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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, analysts forecast that Cognex Corporation will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.48%.

Insider Activity at Cognex

In related news, VP Laura Ann Macdonald sold 14,881 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.16, for a total transaction of $850,597.96. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $126,437.92. This trade represents a 87.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Angelos Papadimitriou sold 4,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.58, for a total value of $230,657.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,222 shares in the company, valued at $901,618.76. This trade represents a 20.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 196,083 shares of company stock valued at $11,419,321 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CGNX shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Stephens upped their price target on Cognex from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given 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 $67.21.

Key Stories Impacting Cognex

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.