Stock Analysis
Cognex CorpCGNX
P/E 51.96×· 5Y range 26.91–116.58×· 54th percentile of history
Sector: Technology · Industry: Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control
AnalystsStrong Buy28 analystsP/E 52.0× sits at the 54th percentile of its 5.062286105407256-year history.
Cash covers 963% of debt · Q1 2023.
PMP Verdict
Mixed fundamentals, fairly valued
Strengths
- Quality84
- Financial Health75
Risks
- Growth25
Mixed picture — no clear quality or value edge.
Market context
-3.0% today· Z 0.8σ
Bull Case
- ✓Piotroski F-Score 7/9 — high earnings quality
- ✓Altman Z 11.8 — safe-zone balance sheet
- ✓Interest coverage 101.0× — debt well covered
What's happening with CGNX
Profile
Strong moat, earnings quality and financial health; growth and valuation lag behind.
How is each axis scored?
- Valuation39/100 · Weak
- P/E vs own history (54th pct)12/25
- FCF yield (3.0%)5/25
- P/S (8.3x)12/25
- EV/EBIT (n/a)10/25
- Growth25/100 · Weak
- Revenue CAGR (-1.0%)0/25
- Net income CAGR (-20.0%)0/25
- EPS CAGR 5Y (-18.8%)0/25
- Fwd implied growth (68.2%)25/25
- Profitability72/100 · Moderate
- ROIC (16.3%)20/25
- ROE (11.7%)12/25
- Net margin (16.1%)20/25
- Operating margin (21.9%)20/25
- Financial Health75/100 · Strong
- Altman Z (11.81)25/25
- Current ratio (3.80)25/25
- Interest coverage (101.0x)25/25
- Net cash / debt (n/a)0/25
- Quality84/100 · Strong
- Piotroski F (7/9)22/25
- Beneish M (-2.66)25/25
- FCF conversion (153%)25/25
- Margin stability (σ 8.0%)12/25
- Moat88/100 · Strong
- ROIC >12% years (6/10 yrs)13/25
- Median gross margin (73.6%)25/25
- FCF-positive years (10/10 yrs)25/25
- Worst-year net margin (worst 11.5%)25/25
Risk Flags
- ⚠Revenue shrinking 1.0%/yr
About Cognex Corp
Cognex Corp provides machine vision products that help automate manufacturing processes. Show more
The firm's products include vision software, vision systems, vision sensors, and ID products. Vision software combines vision tools with a customer's cameras and peripheral equipment and can help with several vision tasks, including part location, identification, measurement, and robotic guidance. Vision systems combine a camera, processor, and vision software into a single package. Vision sensors deliver simple, low-cost solutions for common vision applications, such as checking the size of parts. Geographically, it operates in United states, Europe, Greater China and others. Cognex generates the maximum proportion of its sales in the United States and Europe.
Headquarters: NATICK, MA · Employees: 2,745 · Website ↗
Price History
Weekly Candlestick Chart — up to 5Y
Key Metrics
Financial snapshot · Tap any metric for its definition and grade
TTM Snapshot
trailing twelve months · YoYValuation
39DP/E (TTM)52.0xD
Grade D: ExpensivePrice / TTM EPS (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 26.9x–116.6x · 54th pct
P/FCF34.7xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / Free Cash Flow per share (Finnhub). Inverse of FCF yield — negative when FCF is negative
FCF Yield3.0%C
Grade C: LowTTM (OCF − CapEx) / Market Cap — vs own 5Y history: 0.8%–4.1% · 86th pct
P/S (TTM)8.35xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / TTM Revenue (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 4.3x–16.3x · 54th pct
EV/EBITDA46.8xD
Grade D: ExpensiveEnterprise value / EBITDA (Finnhub) — capital-structure neutral — vs own 5Y history: 36.7x–61.0x · lowest in history
EV/Sales11.0xD
Grade D: Very expensiveEnterprise Value / TTM Revenue (Finnhub) — capital-structure neutral sales multiple
Forward P/E30.9xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / next-year EPS estimate — shows whether the TTM multiple is rich or just front-loading growth
P/B Ratio6.09xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice to Book Value. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
PEG Ratio1.21B
Grade B: FairFinnhub PEG — their P/E basis ÷ expected EPS growth. Suppressed when their P/E diverges >2× from our TTM P/E (different basis)
Dividend Yield0.60%A
Grade A: PaysTTM dividend yield (Finnhub) — annual dividends / price. None = no dividend; very high yield can signal distress
Payout Ratio32.1%A
Grade A: SafeDividends / Net Income (Finnhub) — share of earnings paid out; >90% or negative = unsustainable
Profitability
72B+ROIC16.3%A
Grade A: MoatNOPAT (EBIT less ~21% tax) / invested capital (equity + debt − cash). Flagship quality metric — durable >15% signals a moat
ROE11.7%C
Grade C: AverageReturn on Equity. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
ROA6.0%C
Grade C: AverageReturn on Assets (Finnhub) — Net Income / Total Assets; how efficiently assets produce profit
Net Margin16.1%A
Grade A: HighNet Income / Revenue
Operating Margin21.9%C
Grade C: AverageTTM EBIT / TTM Revenue
Gross Margin68.9%A
Grade A: PremiumGross Profit / Revenue
FCF Margin24.6%A
Grade A: HighFCF / Revenue
True FCF Margin24.6%A
Grade A: HighTTM (OCF − CapEx − SBC) / TTM Revenue — SBC treated as a real cost
Growth
25ERevenue CAGR-1.0%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual revenue growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
Net Income CAGR-20.0%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual net income growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
EPS CAGR (5Y)-18.8%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual EPS growth over up to 5Y of per-share earnings (own statements). Null when either endpoint EPS ≤ 0
Implied EPS Growth68.2%A
Grade A: HighAnalyst forward EPS (normalized basis) vs our GAAP TTM EPS — different bases, so extreme values usually mark cyclically depressed TTM earnings, not real growth
Dilution (5Y)-6.5%A
Grade A: BuybacksShare count change over 5Y
SBC / Net Income—
Stock-based comp/Net income. >30% = dilution risk
SBC / Revenue—
TTM stock-based comp / TTM Revenue
Financial Health
75B+Altman Z-Score11.81A
Grade A: SafeBankruptcy risk. >3 Safe, <1.8 Distress
Current Ratio3.80xA
Grade A: HighCurrent Assets/Liabilities
Quick Ratio2.95xA
Grade A: High(Current Assets − Inventory) / Current Liabilities (Finnhub) — stricter liquidity test, excludes inventory
Interest Coverage101.0xA
Grade A: StrongEBIT/Interest. >10 Strong
Debt Repayment—
Years to repay net debt via FCF
Net Debt/EBIT—
Leverage. <2x Low, >4x High
Debt/Equity0.00xA
Grade A: LowDebt / Equity: <1 Conservative, >2 Risky. Not meaningful with non-positive equity; shown as unavailable rather than low debt.
Cash / Debt—
Cash covers how much of total debt. >1 = could repay all debt from cash
Quality
84APiotroski F-Score7/9A
Grade A: StrongFinancial strength 0–9. >7 Strong
Beneish M-Score-2.66A
Grade A: SafeEarnings manipulation risk. < -2.22 Safe
FCF Conversion153.5%A
Grade A: StrongFCF / Net Income
Margin Stability8.0%C
Grade C: AverageEBIT margin std deviation. Lower = stable
Capex / Revenue0.8%A
Grade A: Asset-lightTTM CapEx / TTM Revenue — high % = capital-hungry business
Asset Turnover0.40xD
Grade D: LowRevenue / Total Assets (Finnhub) — how efficiently the asset base generates sales
Insider Transactions
SEC Form 4 · 8 recordsP/S codes are the directional signal; grants, option exercises and tax withholding carry none. Form 4 doesn't flag 10b5-1 plans — scheduled sales may appear within open-market sells.
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | Option exercise | -1600 | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | Option exercise | -4000 | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | Option exercise | -7000 | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | SellOpen market sale | -8362 | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | SellOpen market sale | -7000 |
Show 3 more filingsShow fewer filings
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | Option exercise | +7.0K | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | SellOpen market sale | -4000 | |
Moschner Matthew Filed | Moschner Matthew | Option exercise | +4.0K |
Option exercise (M) rows report a derivative leg, not an open-market sale — a paired negative entry is the option position being consumed.
More metrics — Moat, Per Share, Balance Sheet, MarketHide additional metrics
Moat
88AROIC >12% Years6/10 yrsC
Grade C: ModerateShare of completed fiscal years with ROIC > 12% — measures multi-year capital-return durability
Gross Margin (Med.)73.6%A
Grade A: DurableMedian annual gross margin across available fiscal years — pricing-power durability
FCF-Positive Years10/10 yrsA
Grade A: DurableShare of completed fiscal years with positive free cash flow
Net Margin Floor11.5%A
Grade A: DurableWeakest annual net margin across completed fiscal years — recession/downcycle resilience
Per Share
EPS (TTM)$1.04
Own TTM net income / shares — same earnings basis as P/E
Cash / Share$2.40
Cash & short-term investments per share (Finnhub)
Book Value / Share$9.69
Shareholders' equity per share (Finnhub). Negative = accumulated losses / heavy buybacks
Balance Sheet
Total Debt—
Total debt obligations (short + long term)
Cash & Equiv.$336.96M
Cash and short-term investments
Net Debt—
Total Debt minus Cash. Negative = Net Cash position
Total Equity$1.49B
Shareholders' equity (book value)
Asset / Liability3.84xA
Grade A: SolidTotal Assets / Total Liabilities
Market
Market Cap$9.09B
Current Market Capitalization
Beta1.47C
Grade C: VolatilePrice sensitivity vs the market (Finnhub) — 1.0 moves with market, >1.2 amplifies swings
How grades work: each metric is graded A–D against fixed thresholds (tap a row for the meaning). Card grades map the pillar score to A+–E — a card grade is that pillar's own score, not an average of the rows shown.
Financials as of Jul 2026 · Ratio snapshot Oct 17, 2026
Key Insights: Cognex Corp (CGNX)
CGNX is down 3.02% at the last close. Cognex Corp meets 7 of 9 Piotroski F-Score criteria, placing its fundamental strength in the top tier of US-listed stocks. Altman Z-Score of 11.81 sits comfortably in the safe zone (≥ 2.99), indicating low bankruptcy risk.
- Beneish M-Score of -2.66 suggests a low likelihood of earnings manipulation.
- Revenue has been contracting (CAGR ≈ -1%), which weighs on the growth outlook.
- Cognex Corp converts about 25% of revenue into free cash flow — strong cash generation.
See how CGNX ranks on the Capex Tracker — top 50 capital spenders compared.
Recent Market Moves
See all CGNX moves →| Date | Session | Price | Move | Z-Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14 | After-hours | 56.50 | -5.85% | -2.11 |
| Oct 7 | Regular | 61.33 | -7.57% | -3.08 |
| Oct 7 | After-hours | 61.15 | -7.84% | -3.19 |
Frequently Asked Questions about CGNX
What is the current Cognex Corp (CGNX) stock price?
CGNX is trading at $53.99 at the last market close, down 3.02% on the session. PreMarketPrice tracks CGNX pre-market, intraday and after-hours prices.
Is CGNX stock a buy right now?
PreMarketPrice's quantitative model rates Cognex Corp's financial health at 75/100. This is a data-driven snapshot of fundamentals, not investment advice.
Is CGNX stock overvalued?
Cognex Corp trades at a trailing P/E of 52.0 and our valuation score rates it 39/100 (higher = cheaper vs. its own history). See the Valuation History and Key Metrics sections for forward P/E, EV/EBITDA and PEG context.
When does Cognex Corp report earnings?
No confirmed earnings date is currently scheduled for CGNX. The Earnings section lists recent reports and updates as dates are announced.
What sector does Cognex Corp operate in?
Cognex Corp operates in the Technology sector, within the Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control industry. The Related Stocks section lists sector peers for comparison.
What does Cognex Corp do?
Cognex Corp provides machine vision products that help automate manufacturing processes.
About Cognex Corp (CGNX) Stock
Cognex Corp (CGNX) is a US-listed stock operating in the Technology sector, specifically the Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control industry. As of the latest update, Cognex Corp is trading at $53.99, down 3.02% on the day with a market capitalization of $9.1 billion. The financial health score for CGNX is 75/100, which indicates excellent financial strength based on profitability, leverage, liquidity, and growth metrics. This page provides real-time pre-market pricing, earnings calendar, financial health analysis, and valuation metrics for CGNX stock.
CGNX Stock Analysis & Key Metrics
On PreMarketPrice, you can track Cognex Corp (CGNX) across multiple dimensions:
- Pre-market price & movement: Real-time CGNX stock price with percentage change, updated continuously during pre-market and regular trading hours.
- Valuation & P/E history: Historical P/E, P/S, and P/B ratios for CGNX with trend analysis and normalized valuation multiples.
- Financial statements: Revenue, net income, assets, liabilities, and equity for Cognex Corp across multiple reporting periods.
- Financial health score: A composite score of 75/100 based on Altman Z-Score, Piotroski F-Score, profitability, and leverage metrics for CGNX.
- Sector peers: Compare CGNX against 6 other technology stocks on key financial metrics.
Is CGNX a Good Stock to Buy?
This page provides data-driven analysis to help you evaluate Cognex Corp (CGNX) as an investment. The financial health score of 75/100 suggests excellent financial fundamentals. Valuation metrics show whether the stock is trading above or below its historical average.However, this is not financial advice — always do your own research before investing.
Data on this page is sourced from real-time market feeds, Polygon.io, and Finnhub.Cognex Corp (CGNX) trades on NYSE/NASDAQ. Pre-market trading occurs 4:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET. Regular market hours are 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET.