Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. 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, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $252.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.92 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 8.26% and a net margin of 11.33%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.16 EPS.

Cognex Stock Performance

CGNX opened at $43.03 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $38.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.19. The firm has a market cap of $7.21 billion, a PE ratio of 67.24 and a beta of 1.53. Cognex has a twelve month low of $22.67 and a twelve month high of $49.76.

Cognex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 26th will be paid a $0.085 dividend. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 26th. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CGNX has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Cognex from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Cognex in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Cognex from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $42.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Cognex in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.64.

Trending Headlines about Cognex

Here are the key news stories impacting Cognex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Cognex reported Q4 revenue of ~$252.3M (up ~9.9% YoY) and EPS that topped consensus, the core driver of today’s rally. Management released a slide deck and press release highlighting profitable growth. Cognex Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Big after?hours move — Media coverage notes a ~24% after?hours jump following the earnings/revenue beat, indicating strong short?term buying and momentum from traders. Why Did Cognex (CGNX) Stock Surge Over 24% After Hours
• Positive Sentiment: Cash flow and profitability improvements — Company data and third?party summaries show operating cash from activities rose sharply (improving liquidity) and operating profit expanded, supporting valuation despite a higher P/E. Cognex stock rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared — Cognex announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.085 per share (annualized yield ~0.8%), a modest shareholder return that may reassure income?focused holders but is small in yield. (No external link provided)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach — CFO scheduled to present at the Barclays Industrial conference next week, which could provide additional color for investors and sustain interest. Cognex Announces Participation at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional mix — Recent analyst targets range widely (mid?$30s to mid?$50s) and Quiver data shows large institutional position changes, including significant additions by at least one manager — creates both upside case and volatility risk. Cognex stock rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling noted — Recent filings show insider sales by several officers; while common, continued selling can be read negatively by some investors. Cognex stock rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data unreliable — Recent short?interest entries show zero shares (likely reporting artifact), so there’s no clear short?squeeze signal to explain price action beyond earnings momentum.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cognex

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CGNX. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Cognex by 18,810.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,794,649 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $56,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,785,159 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Cognex by 10,861.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 782,776 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $35,460,000 after buying an additional 775,635 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Cognex by 55.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,441,646 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $65,307,000 after buying an additional 514,046 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP raised its position in Cognex by 3,468.9% in the 3rd quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 334,588 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $15,157,000 after buying an additional 325,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Cognex by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,226,454 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $38,903,000 after acquiring an additional 321,764 shares in the last quarter. 88.12% of the stock is currently owned by 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.