Insider Selling: 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 transaction of $2,727,296.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $344,714.48. The trade was a 88.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

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 transaction 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 transaction of $850,597.96.

Cognex Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of Cognex stock opened at $66.09 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.84. 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 $11.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.68 and a beta of 1.48.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.34 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $268.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. Cognex’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. Cognex has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.440 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Cognex Corporation will post 1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.085 dividend. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on CGNX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Cognex from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cognex from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Cognex from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.36.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cognex

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CGNX. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Cognex during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. REAP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Cognex during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Cognex by 402.2% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Cognex by 74.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cognex during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

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.