CGNX
Cognex Corporation
CGNX has the edge over MSFT overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger valuation.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
CGNX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
CGNX's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
CGNX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 26x | $50.77 | — |
| Current | 35x | $50.77 | — |
| Cheap | 40x | $57.69 | +14% |
| Fair | 55x | $79.70 | +57% |
| Expensive | 79x | $113 | +123% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CGNX's PE is in its cheap range at 35x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 26x next year's earnings.
MSFT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 25x | $523 | — |
| Cheap | 27x | $525 | +0.4% |
| Current | 27x | $523 | — |
| Fair | 34x | $652 | +25% |
| Expensive | 37x | $711 | +36% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MSFT has the edge over CGNX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
CGNX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
CGNX has the edge over MSFT on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
MSFT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for MSFT, with profitability holding steady.
CGNX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.94 | +35% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.44 | +122% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.04 | +44% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.85 | +23% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.68 | +9.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.65 | +27% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.72 | +60% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.69 | +21% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.62 | -4.6% |
CGNX earned $1.44 per share over the past year, up 122% from the year before.
MSFT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $20.79 | +8.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $19.15 | +36% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.95 | +32% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.80 | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $15.99 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $14.06 | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.64 | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.93 | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.41 | +12% |
MSFT's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $19.15 over the past year, up 36% from the year before, and higher year over year for 14 quarters in a row.
CGNX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $313.4M | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $291.3M | +17% |
| Q1 2026 | $268.4M | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $252.3M | +9.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $276.9M | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $249.1M | +4.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $216M | +2.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $229.7M | +17% |
CGNX's revenue has grown year over year for nine quarters in a row: $313M last quarter, up 13% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | +11 points |
| Q2 2026 | 29% | +12 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | +10 points |
| Q4 2025 | 14% | +0.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 21% | +7.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | +1.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 12% | +5.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 13% | +7 points |
CGNX's operating margin was 32% last quarter, up 11 points from the same quarter a year ago.
MSFT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $92.3B | +19% |
| Q2 2026 | $90B | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $82.9B | +18% |
| Q4 2025 | $81.3B | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $77.7B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $76.4B | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $70.1B | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $69.6B | +12% |
MSFT has the edge over CGNX on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 50% | +0.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 45% | +0.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 47% | +1.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 49% | +2.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 45% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 46% | +1.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 45% | +1.9 points |
MSFT has the edge over CGNX on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CGNX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $103.8M | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $67.6M | +67% |
| Q1 2026 | $42.3M | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $72.3M | +47% |
| Q3 2025 | $86M | +66% |
| Q2 2025 | $40.4M | +74% |
| Q1 2025 | $38M | +297% |
| Q4 2024 | $49.3M | +560% |
CGNX has the edge over MSFT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MSFT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.6B | -27% |
| Q2 2026 | $19.6B | -23% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.8B | -22% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.9B | -9.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $25.7B | +33% |
| Q2 2025 | $25.6B | +9.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.3B | -3.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.5B | -29% |
MSFT's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $60B over the past year, down 23% from the year before.
CGNX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.6% | +1M shares |
| 1 year | +1% | +1.7M shares |
| 3 years | -1.3% | -2.3M shares |
| 5 years | -5.2% | -9.3M shares |
| Available history | -2.4% | -4.2M shares |
CGNX has 171M diluted shares, up 1% from a year ago, despite $130M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | $6.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $99M |
| Q4 2025 | $25M |
| Q3 2025 | $24M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | $102.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $43.2M |
CGNX spent $130M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 23% from the year before.
MSFT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -7M shares |
| 1 year | -0.3% | -20M shares |
| 3 years | -0.2% | -16M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -121M shares |
| Available history | -3.2% | -245M shares |
MSFT has the edge over CGNX on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q4 2025 | $7.4B |
| Q3 2025 | $5.7B |
| Q2 2025 | $4.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
MSFT spent $21B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 5.2% from the year before.
CGNX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -2.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
CGNX has the edge over MSFT on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
CGNX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 41.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 13.4 | Oversold |
CGNX's weekly RSI is 41 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 13 (oversold).
MSFT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
MSFT's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
CGNX PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | CGNX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 28x | 27% above |
| PE % | 8 | 35 | 27 pts below |
CGNX is trading at 35x earnings, a 27% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT has the edge over CGNX on valuation relative to its sector.
CGNX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $56.4 | 9.9% below |
| 20 week MA | $60.9 | 17% below |
| 50 week MA | $55.1 | 7.8% below |
| 100 week MA | $45.6 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $44.9 | 13% above |
CGNX has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 13% above its 200-week average.
MSFT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $524.7 | 0.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $484.8 | 7.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $446.9 | 17% above |
| 100 week MA | $453.8 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $411.5 | 27% above |
MSFT has the edge over CGNX on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CGNX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $56.2 | $80.7 | +44% |
| 2021 | $80.7 | $77.6 | -3.9% |
| 2022 | $77.6 | $47.4 | -39% |
| 2023 | $47.4 | $41.7 | -12% |
| 2024 | $41.7 | $36.0 | -14% |
| 2025 | $36.0 | $36.6 | +1.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $36.6 | $50.8 | +39% |
CGNX has the edge over MSFT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
MSFT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $159.0 | $222.8 | +40% |
| 2021 | $222.8 | $334.7 | +50% |
| 2022 | $334.7 | $238.7 | -29% |
| 2023 | $238.7 | $376.0 | +58% |
| 2024 | $376.0 | $430.5 | +14% |
| 2025 | $430.5 | $487.7 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $487.7 | $523.0 | +7.2% |
MSFT has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's up 7.2% so far in 2026.