Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Director Robert Willett Sells 177,052 Shares

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ:CGNX) Director Robert Willett sold 177,052 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $10,338,066.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Cognex Price Performance

Cognex stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $58.79. The company had a trading volume of 4,790,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,239,616. Cognex Corporation has a 12-month low of $22.67 and a 12-month high of $59.88. The company has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.75 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.31.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $252.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.92 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 11.51%.Cognex’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.16 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Cognex Corporation will post 0.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be issued a $0.085 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 26th. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.13%.

Cognex News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: revenue of $252.3M (≈+9.9% y/y) and EPS that topped estimates; management raised Q1 EPS and gave revenue guidance above Street expectations — the core driver of today’s rally. Cognex Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights margin-focused portfolio optimization plus a shareholder-return push (dividend and buyback/upgrade messaging), which analysts and investors view as supportive of higher margins and multiple expansion. Why Cognex Is Up 48.6%
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Needham raised its price target (and carries a Buy), and other outlets reported upgrades and target bumps following the quarter — amplifying buying interest. Benzinga — analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Cash flow and balance-sheet strength were highlighted (operating cash jumped materially y/y; cash balances rose), giving the company flexibility to execute buybacks/dividends and sustain investment. QuiverQuant — Q4 summary and cash flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings-call transcripts and deep-dive coverage are available for investors who want management color on product mix, AI strategy and the margin plan; these provide detail but no new surprise beyond the release. Seeking Alpha — earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance pieces (e.g., 15‑year return stories) surfaced, useful for context but unlikely to move short-term price. Benzinga — long-term performance
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Cognex disclosed rising AI-related regulatory and compliance risks that could increase costs, slow deployments or compress margins if global rules tighten — a longer-term headwind to watch. TipRanks — AI regulation risk
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity and mixed analyst views: recent insider sales were reported and some firms still carry cautious targets/ratings — these can temper enthusiasm if repeated or if growth disappoints vs. elevated expectations. QuiverQuant — insider & analyst notes

Institutional Trading of Cognex

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CGNX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cognex by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,598,728 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $842,522,000 after acquiring an additional 374,999 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Cognex by 173,138.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 10,477,448 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $376,979,000 after acquiring an additional 10,471,400 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Cognex by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,101,583 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $292,224,000 after acquiring an additional 76,212 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Cognex by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,013,184 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $252,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529,010 shares during the period. Finally, Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN lifted its position in shares of Cognex by 0.9% during the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 4,768,716 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $151,264,000 after purchasing an additional 40,927 shares in the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $35.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Cognex in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.73.

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.