Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX) Shares Bought by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX) by 58.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 7,145 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Cognex were worth $780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Cognex by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,334,064 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $723,524,000 after acquiring an additional 203,149 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Cognex during the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cognex by 1,239.7% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 777 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of Cognex by 94.4% in the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 589 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 11,514 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. 88.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Cognex from $55.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Cognex from $46.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Cognex from $48.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Cognex in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Cognex from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cognex presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.17.

Insider Transactions at Cognex

In related news, CFO Dennis Fehr purchased 6,570 shares of Cognex stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $38.04 per share, for a total transaction of $249,922.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,570 shares in the company, valued at $249,922.80. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Dianne M. Parrotte purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $38.62 per share, for a total transaction of $77,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 11,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $437,950.80. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Dennis Fehr purchased 6,570 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $38.04 per share, with a total value of $249,922.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,570 shares in the company, valued at $249,922.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Cognex Stock Performance

Shares of CGNX opened at $39.53 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.09 and a 200 day moving average of $43.08. Cognex Co. has a fifty-two week low of $34.28 and a fifty-two week high of $53.13. The firm has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.16 and a beta of 1.41.

Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $239.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $240.33 million. Cognex had a return on equity of 4.97% and a net margin of 9.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Cognex Co. will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cognex Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.72%.

About Cognex

Cognex Corporation provides machine vision products that capture and analyze visual information to automate manufacturing and distribution tasks worldwide. Its machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing and tracking of discrete items, including mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, and e-commerce packages by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them during the manufacturing or distribution process.