Cognex vs Vontier
Add, change or remove companies; up to four.
KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Cognex and Vontier side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Vontier is the larger business, with $3.1B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $994M for Cognex, about 3.1 times as much.
- Cognex grew revenue faster (8.7%, against 3.2%).
- Vontier kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (18.3% operating margin, against 16.4%).
- Cognex turned more of its sales into free cash flow (23.8% FCF margin, against 14.3%).
- Vontier earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (15.8%, against 8.4%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Cognex’s earnings: a P/E of 53.5x against 14.3x for Vontier.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Cognex
CGNX
5/10
Revenue growth5-year growthFCF marginPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDA
Vontier
VNT
5/10
Operating marginNet marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | CGNX FY25 | VNT FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $9.5B | $4.8B |
| Revenue | $994M | $3.1B |
| Free cash flow | $237M | $441M |
| Net income | $114M | $406M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 8.7% | 3.2% |
| 5-year growth | 4.2% | 2.6% |
| Share count change | −1.9% | −4.2% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 66.9% | — |
| Operating margin | 16.4% | 18.3% |
| Net margin | 11.5% | 13.2% |
| FCF margin | 23.8% | 14.3% |
| Return on capital | 8.4% | 15.8% |
| Return on equity | 7.6% | 35.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | −$337M | $1.6B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | −1.7x | 2.6x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $206M | $315M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 53.5x | 14.3x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 6 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.