KBC Group NV Has $7.07 Million Stock Position in Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX)

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Cognex Co. (NASDAQ:CGNX) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 174,632 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Cognex were worth $7,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cognex by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Cognex by 11.3% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Cognex by 18.7% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,977 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Cognex by 2.4% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 21,919 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cognex by 43.2% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Cognex

In related news, CFO Dennis Fehr acquired 6,570 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $38.04 per share, for a total transaction of $249,922.80. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 6,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $249,922.80. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CGNX shares. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Cognex from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Cognex from $45.00 to $39.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Cognex from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Cognex from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Vertical Research began coverage on shares of Cognex in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $58.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cognex currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.91.

Cognex Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CGNX opened at $39.61 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $39.86 and its 200-day moving average is $43.06. Cognex Co. has a 1 year low of $34.79 and a 1 year high of $53.13. The company has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.17 and a beta of 1.40.

Cognex Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. This is a boost from Cognex’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. Cognex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.69%.

Cognex Profile

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.