Cognex vs Daktronics
Cognex is the larger business, with $994m of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $839m for Daktronics (1.2 times as much). Daktronics grew faster (10.9% against 8.7%). Cognex kept more of each dollar of sales as profit: a net margin of 11.5% against 5.4%. Cognex carries less debt relative to equity (0.0% against 3.6%).
| Latest fiscal year | CognexCGNX, 2025 | DaktronicsDAKT, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $994m | $839m |
| Revenue growth | 8.7% | 10.9% |
| Net income | $114m | $45.4m |
| Operating margin | 16.3% | 7.3% |
| Net margin | 11.5% | 5.4% |
| Return on equity | 7.6% | 15.8% |
| Free cash flow | $237m | $34.3m |
| Cash | $263m | $132m |
| Total debt | $0 | $10.9m |
| Debt to equity | 0.0% | 3.6% |
| Dividend per share | $0.33 | — |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | — |
| Share buybacks | $151m | $25.6m |
| Employees | — | 2,423 |
| Market value | $9.81bn | $957m |
| Price vs our value range | Above our value range | Below our value range |
| Moat score | 83 (Strong) | 29 (Weak) |
| Insider trades, 12 months | 0 buys, 42 sales | 1 buys, 2 sales |