Cognex Corporation (CGNX): one to watch?

A real business turnaround with strong growth, but at 75x trailing earnings much of the good news is already priced in.

👀 WATCH Fundamentals70/100

Down 32% from its all-time high of $93.99 — now $64.07

Why CGNX dropped

Cognex, a machine-vision (industrial camera/AI inspection) company, is in the middle of a genuine operational turnaround under a new CEO/CFO: Q1 2026 revenue grew 24% year-over-year with gross margin jumping to 71% from 67%, and Q2 guidance calls for ~16.5% revenue growth and 68% EPS growth, driving the stock up sharply from 2025 lows.

Fwd P/E 36.0Op margin 22.3%Rev growth 24.3%Debt/equity 5.0%Analyst upside 21.1%

How this scored 70/100

✅ Passes all 4 hard checks — profitable, cash-generative, and financially survivable.

✅ Makes money Net profit margin 13.6%

✅ Generates cash Free cash flow $181M

✅ Not drowning in debt Debt/equity 5.0% (limit 200%)

✅ Can pay its bills Current ratio 3.6 (needs 1+)

Bar length shows how much each metric is worth — a 10-point metric is twice as wide as a 5-point one. Hover any row for what it means.

Profitability Does it actually make money? 15/25

Operating margin 22.3% 8/9

Net profit margin 13.6% 5/8

Return on equity 9.7% 2/8

Growth Is it getting bigger, or dying? 25/25

Revenue growth 24.3% 9/9

Earnings growth 122.3% 8/8

Expected profit change 109.4% 8/8

Value Is it cheap right now? 5/25

Forward P/E 36.0 1/10

PEG ratio 2.7 1/8

Analyst target upside 21.1% 2/7

Balance sheet Will it survive? 25/25

Debt / equity 5.0% 10/10

Current ratio 3.6 8/8

Free cash flow $181M 7/7

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Analysis generated by SmartStonks's AI from public fundamentals and news, first flagged 2026-07-20. Research only — not financial advice.