Cognex Corporation (CGNX) vs MKS Inc. (MKSI)
Cognex Corporation and MKS Inc. are both Scientific & Technical Instruments companies. MKS Inc. is the larger, with a market value of $17.7B against $9.8B — 1.8× the size. MKS Inc. trades at the lower P/E: 39.9× against 55.9×. Cognex Corporation grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 17.2% against 16.3%. Cognex Corporation has the higher net margin (16.1% vs 10.1%) and the higher return on invested capital (12.2% vs 6.74%). Both pay a dividend; Cognex Corporation yields more (0.82% vs 0.77%). Across the 23 metrics below, Cognex Corporation leads on 13 and MKS Inc. on 10.
Valuation
Profitability
| Metric | CGNX | MKSI | Scientific & Technical Instruments median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 68.87% | 46.96% | 45.75% |
| Operating margin | 21.90% | 15.69% | 7.34% |
| Net margin | 16.05% | 10.12% | 1.56% |
| Free cash flow margin | 25.25% | 10.53% | 5.84% |
| Return on equity | 11.15% | 15.88% | 2.87% |
| Return on assets | 8.36% | 4.95% | 0.99% |
| Return on invested capital | 12.16% | 6.74% | 3.88% |
Growth
Health
Dividend
Size
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