Sifting through countless of stocks in the Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Badger Meter, Inc. or Cognex Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation

Badger Meter, Inc. manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. The company offers Utility water smart metering solutions and software technologies and services to municipal water utility market. It also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers’ representatives. In addition, the company offers ORION Cellular endpoints to power network as a service; ORION mobile read endpoints support for deploying AMR solution; radio products; hardware, instruments, and sensors, and related software, to enhance connected data to a water utility's operation; water quality monitoring solutions, including optical sensing and electrochemical instruments; and high frequency pressure and leak detection sensors to aid in burst pipe and leak events; as well as BEACON, a secure cloud-hosted software suite that establishes alerts for specific conditions and allows consumer engagement tools that permit end water user to view and manage their water usage activity. Its flow instrumentation products are used in water/wastewater, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, and corporate sustainability markets. The company serves water utilities, commercial, and industrial industries; and provides training, project management, technical support, and other collaborative services for customers. It sells its products and software to employees, resellers, and representatives. The company was incorporated in 1905 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Cognex Corporation provides machine vision products that capture and analyze visual information to automate manufacturing and distribution tasks in the United States, Europe, Greater China, and internationally. Its machine vision products are used to automate the manufacture and distribution of discrete items, such as mobile phones, automotive components, and e-commerce packages, by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them. The company offers VisionPro software, a suite of patented vision tools for traditional rule-based tools and deep learning-enabled tools for advanced programming; vision systems that combine smart cameras and software to perform a wide range of tasks, including part location, identification, measurement, assembly verification, and robotic guidance; OneVision, a cloud-based platform designed to transform how manufacturers build, train, and scale AI-powered vision applications; In-Sight product line of vision systems and sensors; QuickBuild, which allows customers to build vision applications with a graphical and flowchart-based programming interface; DataMan, an image-based barcode reader for fixed-mount and handheld models, as well as barcode verifiers; and vision accessories, such as industrial cameras, lenses, lighting, vision controllers, frame grabbers, and I/O cards. It sells its products to the automotive, logistics, packaging, consumer electronics, medical-related, semiconductor, and consumer products industries. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts.

Latest Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components and Badger Meter, Inc., Cognex Corporation Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Badger Meter, Inc. had a $3.8 billion market capitalization, compared to the Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components median of $1.1 million. Badger Meter, Inc.’s stock is down 23.1% in 2026, down 2.9% in the previous five trading days and down 26.72% in the past year.

Currently, Badger Meter, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 31.0. Badger Meter, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $881.0 million with a 14.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -6.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.502 per share for the current fiscal year. Badger Meter, Inc. currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, Cognex Corporation had a $10.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 78th percentile of all stocks. Cognex Corporation’s stock is up 65% in 2026, down 5.7% in the previous five trading days and up 35.4% in the past year.

Currently, Cognex Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 57.6. Cognex Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.1 billion with a 16.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 16.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.692 per share for the current fiscal year. Cognex Corporation currently has a 0.6% dividend yield.

How We Compare Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Badger Meter, Inc.	BMI	F
Cognex Corporation	CGNX	F

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Badger Meter, Inc. has a Value Score of 18, which is Ultra Expensive. Cognex Corporation has a Value Score of 10, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Badger Meter, Inc. or Cognex Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Badger Meter, Inc. or Cognex Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Badger Meter, Inc.	BMI	A
Cognex Corporation	CGNX	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Badger Meter, Inc. has a Quality Score of 89, which is Very Strong. Cognex Corporation has a Quality Score of 94, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Badger Meter, Inc.	BMI	D
Cognex Corporation	CGNX	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Badger Meter, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative. Cognex Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 80, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Cognex Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Cognex Corporation has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Badger Meter, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Cognex Corporation could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Quality and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Badger Meter, Inc. or Cognex Corporation Stock?

Overall, Badger Meter, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 18, Estimate Revisions Score of 34 and Quality Score of 89.

Cognex Corporation stock has a Value Score of 10, Estimate Revisions Score of 80 and Quality Score of 94.

Comparing Badger Meter, Inc. and Cognex Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.