Cognex vs MKS
CGNX and MKSI side by side, both in laboratory apparatus and analytical, optical, measuring, and controlling instruments. Figures are trailing twelve months unless noted, from SEC filings and end-of-day prices.
How CGNX and MKSI compare
MKS is the larger company, worth 1.4 times as much as Cognex ($13.7B against $9.4B).
On earnings, MKS is cheaper: it trades at 32.3× trailing earnings, against 54.5× for Cognex.
Cognex grew revenue faster over the last twelve months (17.1% versus 16.3% for MKS).
Cognex keeps more of each dollar of sales as profit, with a net margin of 16.1% compared with 10.1% at MKS.
Both pay dividends: Cognex yields 0.61% and MKS 0.48%.
Cognex scores higher on the StockData Score (16 against 14 for MKS), which adds up 30 checks on valuation, growth, past performance, financial health and dividends.
Key numbers
A dot marks the better figure where higher or lower is clearly better.
| Metric | CGNX | MKSI |
|---|---|---|
| Size and price | ||
| Market cap | $9.4B | $13.7B |
| Share price | $56.15 | $202.04 |
| Change, 1 year | 18.4% | 42.9% |
| Change, 5 years | −28.9% | 26.1% |
| Beta (5Y) | 1.27 | 2.03 |
| Employees | 2,267 | 10K |
| StockData Score | ||
| Total score | 16 (better) | 14 |
| Valuation score | 1 | 2 (better) |
| Growth score | 3 (better) | 2 |
| Performance score | 3 | 4 (better) |
| Health score | 6 (better) | 2 |
| Dividend score | 3 | 4 (better) |
| Valuation | ||
| P/E | 54.5× | 32.3× (better) |
| P/S | 8.7× | 3.1× (better) |
| P/B | 5.8× | 4.6× (better) |
| EV/EBITDA | 37.9× | 14.3× (better) |
| P/FCF | 35.2× | 30.0× (better) |
| FCF yield | 2.8% | 3.3% (better) |
| Fair value | $45.26 | $217.80 |
| Margin of safety | −24.1% | 7.2% (better) |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth (TTM) | 17.1% (better) | 16.3% |
| Revenue growth, 5Y average | 4.2% | 11.0% (better) |
| Net income growth (TTM) | 43.2% | 64.8% (better) |
| EPS growth (TTM) | 45.1% | 58.5% (better) |
| EPS growth, 5Y average | −7.4% | −7.1% (better) |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 68.9% (better) | 47.0% |
| Operating margin | 21.9% (better) | 15.7% |
| Net margin | 16.1% (better) | 10.1% |
| FCF margin | 24.6% (better) | 10.5% |
| Return on equity | 11.1% | 15.9% (better) |
| Return on invested capital | 12.9% | 20.3% (better) |
| Financial health | ||
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.47 (better) |
| Net debt / EBITDA | – | 0.92 |
| Interest coverage | – | 3.7× |
| Current ratio | 3.93 (better) | 1.14 |
| Altman Z-score | 11.79 (better) | 2.31 |
| Piotroski F-score | 8 (better) | 6 |
| Dividends and buybacks | ||
| Dividend yield | 0.61% (better) | 0.48% |
| Payout ratio | 32.1% | 14.3% |
| Years of dividend growth | 4 (better) | 0 |
| Dividend growth, 5Y average | −31.9% | 1.9% (better) |
| Buyback yield | 1.6% (better) | 0.00% |
| Shareholder yield | 2.2% (better) | 0.48% |
| Ownership | ||
| Held by institutions | 104% | 105% |
| Held by insiders | 0.38% | 0.50% |
| Insider net buying, 12 months | −$34.8M (better) | −$43.4M |
| Superinvestors holding | – | 3 |
| Short interest, % of float | 4.3% | 7.6% |
Go deeper
- CGNX stock overview
- CGNX income statement
- CGNX valuation and score
- MKSI stock overview
- MKSI income statement
- MKSI valuation and score
Other comparisons
For information only, not investment advice. Check the source filings before relying on any figure.