Fact based stock research
Cognex (NasdaqGS:CGNX)
US1924221039
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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Cognex stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with investment alternatives), Cognex (Electronic Equipment, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Cognex are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 38 (worse than 62% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 25, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 77). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 16, is a sell recommendation based on Cognex's financial characteristics. As the company Cognex shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 38 (62% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 77% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 77). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 25 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Cognex, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | Electronic Equipment |
| Index | Dividends USA, Moonshot Tech, Robotics, NASDAQ, S&P MIDCAP |
| Size class | Medium |
This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.
31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Cognex
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 29 |
|
30 |
|
47 |
|
38 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 65 |
|
49 |
|
83 |
|
77 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
|
100 |
|
25 |
|
25 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 67 |
|
45 |
|
51 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 55 |
|
32 |
|
14 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with investment alternatives), Cognex (Electronic Equipment, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Cognex are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 38 (worse than 62% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 25, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 77). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 16, is a sell recommendation based on Cognex's financial characteristics. As the company Cognex shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 38 (62% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 77% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 77). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 25 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Cognex, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 29 |
|
30 |
|
47 |
|
38 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 65 |
|
49 |
|
83 |
|
77 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
|
100 |
|
25 |
|
25 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 82 |
|
82 |
|
16 |
|
16 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 38 (worse than 62% compared with alternatives), Cognex shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Cognex. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 82% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 13 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 87% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Cognex's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 17 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 83% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 48 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 52% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 38, is a hold recommendation based on Cognex's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Cognex? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Cognex only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 4 |
|
7 |
|
19 |
|
13 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 17 |
|
11 |
|
11 |
|
17 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 25 |
|
24 |
|
47 |
|
48 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 85 |
|
94 |
|
90 |
|
82 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 29 |
|
30 |
|
47 |
|
38 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Cognex shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Cognex. Sales Growth has a value of 75 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 75% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 69 and Capital Growth with a rank of 74 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 19, which means that stock returns have recently been below 81% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 77, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Cognex has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for Cognex, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 62 |
|
83 |
|
73 |
|
75 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 60 |
|
12 |
|
70 |
|
69 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 60 |
|
80 |
|
89 |
|
74 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 39 |
|
23 |
|
33 |
|
19 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 65 |
|
49 |
|
83 |
|
77 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), the company Cognex has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Cognex is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Cognex and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 100 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 100% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 42, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 58% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 25 (worse than 75% compared with alternatives), Cognex has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is an indication that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. There is only below-market average liquidity, and a short-term refinancing issue might be around the corner. But in the long-term, the debt levels of Cognex are on the safer side. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge and liquidity issues with Cognex and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 100 |
|
100 |
|
100 |
|
100 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 19 |
|
41 |
|
41 |
|
42 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 92 |
|
92 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 100 |
|
100 |
|
25 |
|
25 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
7 |
|
26 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | 50 |
|
46 |
|
14 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | 55 |
|
37 |
|
57 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | 94 |
|
97 |
|
98 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | 67 |
|
45 |
|
51 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Cognex from July 31, 2025.
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